


Lucky/Unlucky

by Patrycja444d



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 59,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2287265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patrycja444d/pseuds/Patrycja444d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kamenashi Kazuya is a guy with a terrible luck. There isn't a day that he doesn't get dirty, injured, poured over or ran over by a car. Even thought his family and best friend are very worried about him, he comes to Tokyo to reach his dream - becoming a well-known songwriter. Akanishi Jin is the luckiest guy on earth. From the day he was born only good things started happening around him. Being a famous teenage model, a high school football star or the hottest boy in school is normal for him. Suddenly he decides to form a new band with his friends. Their debut song immediately reaches a high place on Oricon chart. One day these two opposite worlds meet...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. His first 20 BAD years.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks goes to Masami93 from LJ that corrected most of my mistakes. :)

**Chapter 1: His first 20 BAD years**.

When Kamenashi Kazuya was born, everybody knew he’s special. From the first day strange things were happening around him. A nurse that was previously holding the child, slipped on the wet floor. It was unusual, normally floors were cleaned at night, when there were less people walking around. Of course, nobody expected it to be something more than just a plain accident. Everybody soon forgot about it.

A few years later the family decided that something’s not right. Accidents were increasing. When Kazuya was about two, Kamenashi family bought a dog. To this day they were thankful that the dog lived up to a great age. A week after they got a dog, they left Kazuya in the kitchen for five minutes. When they came back, the child was sitting on the floor happily munching a piece of watermelon. It might have been a sweet picture but seeing a whole floor, the child and the dog covered in flour and fruits shocked them. Apparently Kazuya caught a glimpse of a big watermelon and confused the fruit with a ball. He climbed on a kitchen cupboard, accidently knocking down a packet of flour. When he reached the fruit, Kazuya tried to pick it up but it was too heavy and he wobbled, falling down with the fruit. The only thing that didn’t let him injure himself was an old, thick and fluffy blanket that his mom had laid out on the floor for him to sit on. The watermelon smashed into pieces just next to the dog. Poor animal hardly avoided it.

From that moment, Kazuya’s parents kept an eye on him. Accidents got even more frequent. At the age of seven, Kazuya couldn’t survive without getting injured more than two weeks. The family started to worry. Kazuya didn’t have many friends. Other parents were afraid that something bad might happen to their children. They kept them away from him. Then came the day all Kamenashi were thankful for. Kazuya found a friend that wag going to stick to him for the rest of his life. The only kid that wasn’t scared by things that happened around the boy.

It was a sunny day. A teacher at Kazuya’s school decided that it would be good idea to take kids outside. Also today was a day when a new kid came to school. The new kid was a girl. Mitsui Yue, a daughter of a well-known traveler and a famous stylist. Since her father went for another trip to Africa and mother took her younger sister and the youngest brother to Los Angeles, she was staying with her father’s brother. Her older sister and two other brothers were staying with their aunt from mom’s side. Yes, she had two sisters and three brothers. It’s a lot for a family that’s almost never together. Maybe that was why she didn’t smile or talked with other kids in class.

Kazuya was sitting in the sandpit. He was playing alone. Suddenly a group of kids came to him.

“Go away. We want to play here.” The tallest boy stepped ahead apparently being a leader. Kazuya looked up.

“But I was here first. Besides there's lot of place here. You can play here too.”

“But you’re unlucky. We can’t play with you. You will hurt us!” A small girl spoke up. She was barely visible from behind of the group. You could only see big red ribbon on top of her head.

“Exactly! You’re a jinx!” Of course kids being kids immediately liked the idea of their leader and before anyone could react, children started making fun of the poor unlucky boy.

“Jinx! Jinx! Jinx!” he could hear other kids chanting hurtful words and laughing at him. Kazuya started crying but the teacher didn’t do anything. She was too scared to come closer to the boy. Suddenly the group’s leader fell down on the sand. Everyone went silent. The new girl shoved the boy and was glaring at him.

“It’s not nice to call someone names.”

“But it’s true! He will bring us bad luck! You shouldn’t be near him either.” The smallest girl said.

“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter if he has bad luck. It’s not a reason to call him that way!” the boy that got up from the sand, stopped in front of the new girl. He tried to scare her with his height but the girl’s stare was intimidating. The girl made a step forward.

“Leave him alone and stop saying bad things about him.” The boy only nodded quickly and all the kids went away. Everybody went back to their activities. Kazuya so was shocked by what happened that he stopped crying. He came to his senses when he heard a voice next to him.

“Are you okay?” Kazuya flinched but looked at the girl and shook his head.

“You’re not afraid of me?”

“No. Why should I be?” Kazuya hung his head sadly.

“They are right. I bring bad luck to everyone.” When he said that a soccer ball hit the poor boy in the back. He fell down, head in the sand. The girl quickly grabbed him by the hand and helped him stand up and he spited out sand. The girl was also dirty because when he fell, the sand found its way towards the girl’s clothes.

“You see? Your clothes are dirty because of me. I am a jinx.” Tears formed in his eyes and he looked down. Then his eyes went wide when he felt a weak hit on the back of his head.

“Don’t call yourself that! We’re in the sandpit. If I sat down in the sand I would be dirty anyway.” She said with a full conviction.

“But…” The girl didn’t let him finish.

“No ‘but’. Dad says that everybody needs a friend and you can make a friend only when he’s in need. You may be unlucky but I think you a nice person and I want to be your friend.” She smiled to him and stretched out her hand. “I’m Mitsui Yue, you can call me Yue.” The boy was surprised by the girl's behaviour but shook her hand.

“Kamenashi Kazuya, you can call me Kazuya. Nice to meet you.”

“Now, that we know our names we have to take care of your elbow, it’s scratched.”

Before Kazuya could react, Yue pulled him towards their school. She was his first friend. Even though it took her no more than a week to see a full power of Kazuya’s bad luck, she didn’t care. She was with him all the time to help him. Kazuya’s parents were afraid that girl’s uncle might oppose this friendship but once they met him, he said that Yue is a really stubborn and strong girl. She never takes back her words and her judgments are always right. If she says that Kazuya is a good kid and she wants be his friend, then he can’t do anything about it.

When Kazuya turned twelve, being injured once a week was perfectly normal. The only thing that changed from his past was that he and Yue learnt how to deal with his bad luck and they could easily say what might happen. Kazuya was very thankful for having Yue with him. She was a rough and quite hot-headed girl when they were still little but with years passing by, she became more patient. There was only one thing that could immediately upset her, and it was Kazuya and his low self-esteem.

“Do I have to go there? I don’t want to ruin everything.” whined Kazuya, dragged by his best friend.

“Yes, you have to be there. It’s my birthday and you’re my friend. I want my friend to be there with me.”

“But, I’m bringing bad luck. What if I set fire to the house by accident or destroy a table and everything will end up on the floor or…” Yue stopped abruptly and turned around. She was eyeing him angrily and he couldn’t help but to swallow hard.

“Shut up, Kamenashi Kazuya! You might be the biggest failure of the world but I wouldn’t care anyway! You’re neither a jinx nor a failure! You’re my best friend!” She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “Listen, Kazuya. I know that you’re afraid but you’re a great person. You should accept who you are and stop caring. We’ve been friends for so long that I will tell you something. You’re bad luck mostly affects you. I’ve never been seriously hurt. In other words, you won’t hurt anyone. It more looks like harmless pranks.” Kazuya looked at her unconvinced.

“What if it will change? I don’t want anyone to be unhappy because of me.”

“You won’t, I promise. When people care for someone, they will be happy just with being by his or her side. I enjoy playing with you. Your family loves you. The same goes to people that you will meet in the future. If they will be your true friends, they won’t care about your bad luck. You can count on me, I won’t stop being your friend no matter what.”

“Really?”

“Really. Pinky promise.” When she said it, they sealed their promise. Kazuya was happy and didn’t mind when the girl grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her house.

Unfortunately, Kazuya’s good mood slowly disappeared. During the party, the boy’s lack of luck caused a disaster. The table collapsed, the cake smashed into a wall when Yue’s aunt tripped on a baseball ball, Kazuya hit the cupboard with his head and every wineglass crashed on the floor. He also poured out his juice and fell down after stepping on it. And it’s just a peak of what happened. The party was a total catastrophe.

Later that day Yue and Kazuya were sitting on the bench in the nearby park. The boy was sad. He knew what might happen and yet, he let himself be led there by his friend. On the other hand, the girl was looking at the stars with sparkling eyes. Finally she looked at the boy next to her and frowned. She didn’t know that he was this upset about her birthday.

“What is it Kazuya? Is something wrong?” She was concerned.

“Why? Why did you take me there? It was a disaster.” The girl sighed already tired of her friend’s uncertainty. The next second she smiled brightly at him. Her weird behavior really startled the poor boy.

“You know what, Kamenashi Kazuya? Your name really suits you. You’re slow like a turtle. I’ve told you before. You’re my friend, you had to be on my birthday and you know what? It was one of the best birthdays I’ve had.”

“How is it possible?”

“Don’t you know how I love my family, especially my younger sister?” she said ironically. “Your bad luck stole attention from her. At least for once she wasn’t in the spotlight. Also, seeing my brothers wiping a floor with their faces when they slipped on juice you spilled was really amusing. They looked like they were about to go and take a bath without my aunt’s nagging. They HATE bathing, you know that.” Her smile widened when she remembered shocked faces of people at the party.

“You’re really weird, you know?”

“Yep, you realized it just now?” She kept smiling. It was unusual for the girl but Kazuya could see that it was genuine. She was happy. “Thank you, Kazuya.”

The boy’s eyes widened when Yue hugged him.

“You’re welcome.” He hugged her back, relaxing and finally understanding what she meant. You have to be yourself for people to accept you. She broke a hug but a hint of amusement was still evident on her face.

“You know, I think I will call you Kame. You’re terribly slow when it comes to being happy with who you are.” She said with a smirk and Kazuya looked at her pouting. “But you always do your best and finally you’re able to realize that you’re great as you are. You like to make people be happy even with your bad luck.” She hugged him again and added. “But try to think more about yourself sometimes, ne? Let’s go, I hid some cupcakes in my room.” She winked and pulled him up. Kazuya couldn’t stop smiling. Yue has accepted him. It was her birthday but the boy felt like it was him that got the best present.

Another four years have passed. Kazuya became a high school student and like every teenager, he started having crushes. It’s probably unnecessary to tell that his first love didn’t end with happy ending. It was a girl from the upper class. She was pretty but self-centered. Typical school queen. It was also the first time for Kazuya and Yue to have a fight.

“Kame, how many times I have to tell you that she’s evil! Okay, you like her but she won’t like you back!”

“How can you know?! Besides it was you who was always telling me to not give up and be myself!” She was dumbfounded. He was right. She never let him be down and encouraged him to do things he was afraid of and now she was trying to talk him out of asking out a girl.

“…I’m sorry, Kazuya.” She sat on his bed. “I think I’m just worried about you.”

“You? Worried?” She glared at him and he sat next to her. “Sorry. I know that it will be hard but I want to try. Will you help me?” She sighed looking at him.

“Fine.”

Of course nothing went like it was supposed to. At first attempt to impress the girl Kazuya landed up in a trash can. Yue had to pulled him out of it and then go to the store to buy some good and strong bath foam. At second attempt he was sprayed with a sprinkler. You can actually guess where exactly water hit him. Luckily, Kazuya have been carrying a backpack with different stuff for a few years now. Yue knew he had a towel with him and she quickly tied it around his waist. Third time was the worst in Yue’s opinion. Kazuya decided to just normally go to his crush and ask her out on a date.

“I like you. Please, go out with me.” He bowed low in front of the girl. Yue was standing a few meters away talking with her classmate but when she heard her best friend, she turned her head towards him. She was shocked. She knew about his plan but she thought that he will do it after school and not during a lunch break when everybody is watching him.

“Me? Go out with you? You must be joking! I would never go out with you! You’re a jinx! I would catch your bad luck! The only girl that would go out with you, is Mitsui-chan.” You don’t have to be a genius to know that everyone was laughing at the poor boy. Kazuya was crashed but before Yue could do anything, the boy got a grip of himself.

“Yue was right, you’re just a shallow girl. You’re pretty outside but empty inside. Sorry that I bothered you, it was meaningless.” He bowed with respect and turned on his heels. His eyes were slightly wet but when he saw how proud Yue is of him, he felt happy.

“Nice, Kame. Really nice.” She was smirking. Yue patted his shoulder. The boy was slightly smiling but when Yue went by him, he was surprised. The girl stopped in front of his crush with a hard glare.

“For you, it’s Mitsui-SAN, Mei-senpai. Now, better go before your face will urge me to make something I will regret later.” She said darkly.

Yue was scary and the only person that was able to speak up to her was Kazuya. Mei, her friends and rest of people in the corridor, went away quickly. Some of them were even running. Kazuya scolded her later for being rude but the girl was satisfied. She could see how her friend became a strong person. Of course, forgetting about his first crush took a while but eating ice-cream and hanging out together helped a lot. Not even his bad luck could change how happy he was.

Finally came the hardest day of Kazuya’s life - saying goodbye. Yue became a university student. They both loved music but Yue wanted to know more about the industry, modern ways of creating notes and how to be responsible for musicians. Kazuya was a freelance writer. He was writing for the local newspaper. They didn’t pay much but it was enough for him to save some money. Sometimes, when he was in the mood, he was writing songs.

There came the day before Yue’s departure. Both friends were sitting on the bench in the park. It was the same place they were sitting years ago on the girl’s birthday. It was a peaceful night. The sky was full of shining stars. Suddenly Yue broke the silence.

“I’ll miss it.” Kazuya looked at her. She was visibly sad but yet, she was smiling. He turned again.

“What will you miss?”

“The stars. I heard you can’t see stars in Tokyo. This park, the bench, cakes from Kawasaki-san, my family… you.” She faced him. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me? You can always find a job in Tokyo.”

“Don’t worry Yue-chan, I’ll be alright. You taught me how to defend myself.” He spoke with a grin which she returned.

“Yeah… Remember, when someone is attacking you straight ahead, you’re ducking and hitting him on the stomach with your head and then you’re running away.” They started laughing at her joke. It was weird for her. She still could remember a silent, uncertain child who cried a lot but now she was only seeing a young, strong man with pure heart and a lot of confidence. It was a happy sight. It was hard to believe that this happy man has the worst luck on Earth – from last year accidents were happening on a daily basis and yet, she really wasn’t that worried about him.

“Hey, Kame, can I fortune tell you?”

“Fortune tell? You know how to do it?”

"Yeah, my grandma was a really good fortune teller. Okay, let me shuffle the cards.” She pulled out the tarot cards and set them on the bench. “Choose one. Don’t rush.” Kame was warily eyeing pieces of paper. His hand stopped above one of the cards and he was about to take it, when he hesitated. He pulled his hand and grabbed the card on his right and gave it to Yue. The girl looked at it thoughtfully. She found the card really interesting and… unexpected.

“Hm… It’s a rare card, I can’t tell you much. I think it’s a good one. Something good will happen, something… mysterious. Fate will bring you a new person in your life.”

“Do you think it’s true?”

“Well… I dunno. I hardly believe in my skills.”

“You believe in fate then? It’s so not like you?”

“I’m weird, you know that already. For me, if not fate, I wouldn’t meet you.”

"Huh? What do you mean?”

“You see… when I was like four, my grandma told me that I should be self-reliant and don’t listen to other people - I mostly listened to my mother. I didn’t believe my grandma but she started to fortune tell me every day and every day, she was right but… on the last day she said something I didn’t like at all. It was the only time I refused to do what I was told and… I was right. She told me later that you have to know what’s good, what’s not and just do things that you think are right. It was a great lesson.”

“Wow, you’ve never told me that before.”

“You’ve never asked. Anyway, I hope we will see each other soon. Come to visit me sometime… But don’t open umbrella in the house, don’t cross the road when no one’s around and avoid parking lots, hydrants, animals and trees.” She teased him with a smirk.

“Haha, sure. Call me from time to time and come back on summer vacation.” They hugged each other and went back home together for a last time for a long time.

At the end they weren’t able to see each other much. Yue was busy with her school projects and new job, when Kazuya decided to focus on writing songs. His dream was to become a well-known songwriter and work with famous musicians. To achieve that, two years from Yue’s departure, Kazuya decided to move to Tokyo. Money from his job was enough to rent a small 6-tatami apartment for three months.

Once he came to the city, he visited Yue. She was happy seeing her friend and yet angry at him for wandering around the city without her. Kazuya, being who he was, lost himself in Tokyo, got robbed, splashed with puddle’s water, and pooped by birds. The girl considered it lucky that Kame also tripped and landed in the mud. If not, raping would be added to his bad luck events. Yes, Kazuya was unlucky but nobody could say that he’s not pretty. Yue, knowing it, ordered Kame to not be too friendly with unknown people in the big city, but the boy claimed that his bad luck would easily scare evil people away. Not having any other choice, Yue made him wear thick glasses outside his flat.

Kazuya was determined. Every day he tried to find someone interested in his songs. He was unsuccessful. Yue was watching over him. They talked a lot, especially about her job. Kazuya couldn’t believe that his best friend became a manager to some new band. They were about to debut but people already talked a lot about them. Kame smiled brightly and congratulated the girl. One day he jokingly asked if she wouldn’t buy his song for her band. At that time they both didn’t consider that Kazuya’s teasing words might actually be a good idea.

Three month almost passed. Yue’s new band, AT-TUN, debuted and became one of the most listened to in the country – 10th place on Oricon chart. She started earning money in a big style and other artists were often asking for her but she would decline every offer. For Kazuya things weren’t that good. Well, it’s not a secret that he got himself injured on a daily basis and didn’t sell even one song. It was his last day in Tokyo. Next day he would pack his belongings and leave the city.

“Damn, can’t your parents help you?” Yue was leaning against the wall with crossed arms, watching Kame in the kitchen.

“Maybe they can but I won’t ask them. I don’t want to be a problem to them.”

Kazuya put a bowl with steaming food in the center of the table. Surprisingly, he was a very good cook, even his bad luck couldn’t stop him from cooking. They both sat at the table and started eating. Even though she knew him for so many years, she couldn’t believe that her clumsy, always injured friend, never got hurt in the kitchen or burnt anything. His food was delicious.

“Then maybe I will give you some money? You need it and I would be happy having you around.” She said before taking a bite of a piece of meat.

“Yeah, you just want to have a free meal every day, haha. No, thanks, I appreciate your offer but you’re my friend. I can’t use you.” He said with a smile.

“You won’t. We can call it a… loan. You will give it back later.”

“No. I can’t and I won’t. I tried and I can be proud of myself. I will try again when I will be able to pay for a flat in Tokyo.” He took their empty plates and put them in the sink.

“Eh… okay. Leave it. I will do it, you will only break them.” She started washing up dishes. “It’s a shame that you didn’t find a buyer. The only thing I can do is to give you a loan or let you live in my apartment. _I would be more peaceful knowing that you’re actually fine in my place._ ” She muttered last sentence to herself.

“Well, it’s not like not selling songs will hurt me.” Yue snorted at that, Kazuya would be hurt from everything but cooking. “Can you bring me a bottle of water?”

She heard him calling from his bedroom which was also his living room. She wiped her hands in the towel and grabbed the bottle from the fridge. She quickly checked it for any possible danger, even smelling and tasting it to make sure Kazuya won’t end up in hospital. She gave him the bottle and sat on his bed. He was emptying his only closet and put everything on the sheets. Yue leaned back and propped herself on her arms watching him. After a while she was bored and started looking through his things. There wasn’t anything interesting but suddenly her eyes caught a glimpse of a sheet of paper. She took it and read it briefly. It was one of Kazuya’s songs. She hadn’t seen any before and was quite surprised. Lyrics were nice. She asked the boy about it and he hummed the melody for her to hear. It was good. Really good.

The girl swallowed hard and then looked at the boy’s back only to look back to the paper a few second later. She didn’t know what to do. The boy needed help and she could actually give him a hand by buying the song. The problem was that her band, and especially the main vocalist, was only singing their own songs. They would never buy any and she would get scold for buying one. She had to choose.

Her professionalism won. She left the sheet on the bed and got up from the bed. She bid him a quick goodbye, saying that she will see him off tomorrow and went home. It wasn’t the best night sleep for her. The song sank deep into her mind. She caught herself humming it every now and then. It was driving her crazy. It was too good of a song. When she thought that somebody else, not AT-TUN will have, will sing it… it was pissing her off! She had to have that song no matter what.

The next day the girl made her way towards a train station. When she saw Kazuya, she ran to him and dragged him away from other people. Of course, before the boy could say anything she ordered him to shut up and checked for any injuries. Then she straightened and looked into his eyes seriously. She was in her working mood.

“Kamenashi-san, I won’t let you go.” He was dumbstruck by her behavior and couldn’t digest what made her so serious. “I want to buy your song.”

“Huh?” He asked surprised by these sudden words.

“I want to buy your song, the one I asked you about yesterday. Just name the price, I need to have it.”

“Wait… You want to buy ‘Butterfly’? Why?”

“I want AT-TUN to sing it.” She shrugged her shoulders and he kept looking at her with wide eyes.

“But AT-TUN sings pop songs. ‘Butterfly’ is a… hard song.” He said skeptically.

“I know but I want it and YOU will sell it to me if you like it or not.”

Kazuya couldn’t believe his ears. His best friend wanted his song, really wanted and wouldn’t take a ‘no’. It was strange but if that’s what she wants who was he to complain. They quickly went to her apartment and signed a contract. The money she gave him was enough to live in Tokyo for a long time. It’s hard to tell who was more pleased. Kazuya that he could stay and try to achieve his dream or Yue for getting what she wanted.  
  
From that day on the young man could push ahead without a rush, slowly making his dreams come true and yet from that tiny moment when he signed the contract he could remember only one sentence Yue told him patting his back with a smirk.

“You’re getting a new apartment, the old one is dangerous and I want my best songwriter with all his fingers."


	2. His first 22 GOOD years.

**Chapter 2: His first 22 GOOD years.**

  
When Akanishi Jin’s mother took her son in her arms for the first time, she was sure he will be a great man in the future. The boy had a great luck, he was never sick. There wasn’t a healthier child than him.

In first five years of his life, Jin got the title of the most adorable child in Japan. His parents were buying him everything he wanted. Even though he was a slightly spoiled kid, he easily made friends and no one could say that he’s rude. Jin was really stubborn and kind of clingy. When the boy for the first time came to the kindergarten, it wasn’t a secret for his nursery teacher that he will find himself a clingy and energetic best friend . She wasn’t wrong. In a few minutes a new hyper-active duo was born.  
  
Jin stood near the door and looked around. There were a lot of kids but only one caught his attention. It was a small boy, year younger than him, playing with plastic cars. Jin smiled widely and quickly came closer to the boy.  
  
“Hey, can I play with you?” The boy looked at him and smiled.  
  
“Sure! Which one do you want?”  
  
“The red one.”  
  
“Why red?” The boy looked at him surprised. The red toy-car was old and kids weren’t eager to play with it.  
  
“Because red is cool! And my name is Akanishi Jin. “ Jin’s smile widened. The smaller boy still looked puzzled.  
  
“Okay, Akanishi-kun. I’m Yamashita Tomohisa.” The boy extended his hand and the older shook it.  
  
“Call me Jin. Your name is too long. Hm… I know! I will call you Yamapi! Or Pi in short.” Jin sat down when the boy pondered about his new nickname.  
  
“I like it.” He smiled almost as wide as Jin. “We will be best friends forever!” He announced and Jin nodded energetically.  
  
“Yeah, the bestest!”  
  
The duo quickly became popular among other kids and a nightmare for teachers. They liked to make troubles. They were trying to climb on the roof, make a full turn on swings and once they tried to creep into kitchen when they wanted to find chocolate. Of course, with Jin’s luck they’ve never been punished for their actions. Adults thought it was cute. Well, Jin's and Yamapi’s puppy eyes were hard to resist.  
  
When Jin was ten and Yamapi was nine, they experienced the best day of their so far short lives. One day, coming back from school, they found a small dog. The poor thing got tangled in a string and couldn’t free his paw. It was whimpering helplessly in the narrow, dark alley. If Jin didn’t stoop to grip a note, he wouldn’t see the dog.  
  
“Look, Pi. There’s a dog.”  
  
“What? A dog? Wait! Where are you going? It might be dangerous.” The boy was scared and tried to hold Jin back from going towards the dog.  
  
“It’s a puppy, Pi. It won't do anything to me. Besides look at his paw. We need to help him or he will stay there and die. Do you want this dog to die, Yamapi?” The boys eyes went wide and he shook his head horrified. “Good. Now wait here. I’m going to release him.”  
  
Jin came closer to the dog that started to step back with a tucked tail. The boy knelt near the dog and stretched out his hand. He was encouraging him by speaking gently. After a while the dog slowly approached the boy, sniffing his hand. Jin slowly grabbed the dog, trying to not scare him and untied the string. The dog was surely happy and started licking the boy’s face.  
  
“Haha. You’re cute. I wonder to whom you belong to…”  
  
“Look, Jin. He has a collar. Maybe there’s an address.”  
  
“Right. Can you check? He’s harmless, you will be fine.”  
  
Yamapi made a wry face but checked anyway. Not thinking much, two boys decided to return the dog to its owner. When they finally found the right place, they stopped dead. The building was huge and luxurious. They didn’t doubt that celebrities lived there. They came closer to the door and came into the main hall. Everywhere were expensive carpets, elegant chairs and gold and silver decorations. The hall was huge like a house and the boys were sure apartments must be even bigger, much bigger. When they were standing there speechlessly, they heard a sudden cry that startled them. When they looked at the owner of a voice, they opened their mouths in amazement. A few meters away stood Miura Kazuyoshi, the MVP of 1992 AFC Asian Cup.  
  
“Akiko-chan!” The man started running towards the boy when the dog, apparently a girl, jump out of the boy’s hands and rushed to her owner. Miura caught her and hugged happily. “Where did you find her boys?”  
  
“She got tangled in a string. We found her in the nearby alley.” Jin snapped out of his trance first and answered the question.  
  
“Thank you boys. I was looking for her all day. How can I repay you?“  
  
“You don’t have to do anything. It’s a pleasure to meet you sir. We’re big fans of football so meeting famous Miura Kazuyoshi-san is already a great prize.” Jin was good with words. “Well, we will go now. Mom is waiting for us. _Come on. Pi._ ” He whispered to his friend to wake him from his shock and tugged at his sleeve. They bowed and turned around. When they were almost exiting the building, the man called them.  
  
“Hey! Boys, wait!” He quickly came to them. ”I can’t let you go without a reward.”  
  
“Really, sir, it’s not needed.” Jin answered and Yamapi only nodded.  
  
“Non-sense. If not for you, I would never see my sweet Akiko-chan ever again! What would you say if I gave you two VIP tickets for our next match in Nagoya?”  
  
“We’re really grateful, sir, but we can’t go by ourselves. Also train tickets aren’t cheap. Besides it’s a school day.”  
  
“Of course, you’re still students… Then how about it. You call your parents and ask them if you and your families can come, if they say ‘yes’ I will give you VIP tickets and train tickets for all of you.”  
  
The boys did like he said. Of course at first their parents didn’t believe them and didn’t agree to a quite long trip but Jin was very convincing. The next day was his tenth birthday. He said that trip to Nagoya would be his present and Pi, as his best friend, must go with him. The footballer was a really nice man. On Friday, boys and their families had a great fun. They could not only watch a match Japan vs. Ghana, also they met the winners. Jin was happy. It was the best present. His love for football became even bigger.  
  
The fact of being born under the lucky star became even more obvious when one afternoon he was hanging out with his friends. At the game center, they decided to try their luck by drawing Mysterious Boxes. In every box there was supposed to be a prize. It was mostly toy cars, small mascots, whistles or colorful stickers but there were rumors that someone had found a free ticket to amusement park. Boys, being young, stupid and without someone responsible who would tell them such things are not only rare but almost impossible, believed it. The boys found in turn: a hairpin, a small ring, a glue and a key ring. Yamapi had a little more luck, he found a coupon for a two free ice-creams in his box. Pi didn’t care though. He had known Jin long enough to know that his box will be the best. He wasn’t wrong and his eyes widened in excitement. It was even better than a ticket to amusement park. It was the newest version of Game Boy.  
  
“Wow! It’s Game Boy Color! Dude, you’re so lucky! Nobody has more luck than you.” Yamapi was excited, when Jin just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“Why are you so delighted? It’s nothing special.”  
  
“Nothing special?! Dude! It’s the best portable game device I have seen in my whole life.”  
  
“And?” The boy asked innocently.  
  
“And?! Jeez, Jin. Nobody has it in our class yet. It was released like three days ago, Bakanishi. I heard they improved the system. And the games that you will be able to play…” from Yamapi’s face, you could easily tell that he was already far away, enchanted by a vision of himself playing all day long in Jin’s room.  
  
When the guys realized that the boy won’t come back from his sweet dreams any time soon, they left Yamapi and Jin, who willingly promised to take care of Pi, and went home. It wasn’t late but knowing Yamapi’s weirdness it would be quite hard to keep up with the boy. Only Jin could understand him enough to actually not run away. Waiting for Pi to wake up, Jin started playing with his prize. About an hour later, Yamapi finally snapped out of his daze and started paying attention to what was going on around him. Jin quickly hid his Game Boy. He didn’t want the boy to start daydreaming again, especially now, when he was hungry and decided that Yamapi’s prize might be really useful. After a quick argument during which Jin promised that he will let Pi play with his new toy if the boy will give one of his coupons to him, they started walking towards a small restaurant.  
  
The street was full of people. It was even easier to believe in Yamapi’s crazy theory - Jin was indeed the luckiest person on Earth. In the huge crowd, he was spotted by a man in an expensive suit. You could see a bright glint in the man’s eyes. He quickly made his way towards two boys and without any hesitation introduced himself and gave Jin his business card. The man was a famous fashion designer. He was looking for models for his newest collection. Jin wasn’t that much interested in fashion but Yamapi took the card before he could refuse the man. After some time, at Yamapi’s instigation, Jin talked with his parents and decided to try. It would earn him some money and experience. I think it’s not a surprise that he quickly became one of the most known models in demand in Tokyo.  
  
Next three years passed by. Jin was pretty happy having Yamapi back. Since Yamapi was in his last year and Jin in his first in high school, they couldn’t see each other as often as they would like. Now, Pi was in his school and they started hanging out again. Of course, Jin was a really popular guy. It took him less than a day to charm everyone. His popularity raised even more after his first football training in a new school year. He was already a team’s star but it looked like fate was planning to make him an idol.  
  
It was a really sunny day. No clouds, no wind - perfect weather for training. Guys were divided into two teams to play. At first they did some exercises but soon they started playing. From the beginning Jin was the one on the lead. His teammates were often giving him a ball. It was a normal sight. Just like Jin scoring goal after goal. Today was a little different though. The school had decided to form a group of cheerleaders after last year’s win. Girls were training as well not so far away from a football pitch. They were doing one of the most complicated formations – lifting a girl. Jin was running with the ball near them. Suddenly, he left the ball and ran towards cheerleaders. Before anyone could see what was going on, the girl on top wobbled and fell down. Jin quickly stretched out his hands. In the last moment he jumped forward and caught the girl in his arms.  
  
“Are you okay?” he asked but stilled after she looked up at him. The girl was beautiful. He couldn’t believe it. He just saved the most popular, kindhearted and innocent girl in school. She was known by everyone. Princess of their high school.  
  
“Yes. Thank you. You saved me.” Her smile was really pretty, mesmerizing. Jin was staring at her intensively. It made her blush. “Could you put me down, please?” He then snapped out of his daze and blushed.  
  
“Ah… Sorry.” He put her down quickly but when her feet touched the ground she stumbled again and fell onto him again. His arms were against her middle when she grabbed him around his neck. Their faces were even redder than before.  
  
“S…sorry” She stuttered while looking in Jin’s eyes. He was looking right back at her.  
  
“It’s nothing. I don’t mind catching a Star every time she falls. Her light is too beautiful to even touch this dirty ground and not shine brightly above everyone giving them happiness.” The girl was stunned. No one before compared her to a star. The boy sure had way with words. Jin finally registered what he said and looked away embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re really beautiful and I couldn’t help myself. You’re always so nice to everyone. They should follow your example. It’s hard to not look at you. You have so much positive energy. When I look at you, I feel I can do everything and…” He couldn’t end his sentence when he felt a light peck on his cheek.  
  
“It was beautiful, Akanishi-kun. No one ever told me such nice words.” She smiled at him shyly and he smiled back.  
  
“Shimizu Aya-chan, would you like to be my girlfriend?” The boy asked with a small smile.  
  
“Yes, I would love to.”  
  
They kissed when a loud cheer erupted from behind them. All cheerleaders and the whole team were chanting the new couple’s names. It didn’t take long and there wasn’t a single person who wouldn’t know that Akanishi Jin and Shimizu Aya were dating.  
  
They were quite happy together and lasted for about two years. The break up came with Aya’s dream coming true. She always wanted to study fashion in Paris. She was a bright student so she easily got a scholarship at one of the best universities in France. It was a simple and quiet break up. They had strong feelings towards each other but both knew it wasn’t exactly love. More like attachment. It was just nice to talk and hang out. Family-like feeling. At the end, they became good friends.  
  
Jin, having his job as a popular model, resigned from studying but being someone who changes his mind quite a lot and gets bored easily, after a year Jin got a new idea. He should really thank Pi for it.  
  
“Jin! Jin! You know what? You know what?” Yamapi was bouncing happily around Jin’s bed.  
  
“W…what do you want, Pi?” He mumbled half asleep and lifted his head a little to almost immediately put it back down.  
  
“Come on, Jin~! I have something important to tell you~!” Pi whined and started smacking his friend with a pillow that fell down from bed when the sleeping boy turned his body on the other side.  
  
“Fine, fine! I’m getting up! Now, what do you want?” The boy sat up and looked slightly annoyed at his friend.  
  
“Do you remember the time when I hadn’t come to school few weeks ago?”  
  
“…Yeah. What’s with it?”  
  
“Well, I went to take an exam in a university and today I went to see my results. I got in!”  
  
“You? A university student? It’s hard to believe… Actually, what did you choose?” Jin asked surprised.  
  
“You know I always liked singing. I don’t have any aim or a hobby so I thought why not to try and get into music department. I’ve already found myself a room and a roommate.”  
  
“Huh? Already? Weren't you afraid that you won’t get in? And who’s your roommate?”  
  
“Well, yeah, I was slightly scared but life is too short to think so much about such things. My roommate? Do you remember Nishikido Ryo?”  
  
“We were classmates. Cool guy with a sharp tongue. Is he…?”  
  
“Yes. I met him after my exam. We talked and he offered me a place.”  
  
“He offered you? Okay, what he wanted from you? I know the guy enough, he wouldn’t let you stay there for free.”  
  
“Well, that’s true.” Yamapi shrugged his shoulders. “He said that he needs someone who will pay half a rent and something about an idiot with an ugly face who’s pissing him off. I don’t know what he meant but I guess his last housemate was a pain.”  
  
“Hehe, I wonder who’s the guy that could keep up with Ryo’s temper.” Jin started laughing but after a minute he suddenly went quiet . “Pi, you said you want to sing, right?”  
  
“…Yeah…?” The boy looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow not exactly knowing what to expect from him.  
  
“You know, I think I want to try it too.”  
  
“You want to sing, Jin?” Yamapi couldn’t hide his surprise.  
  
“Yes, why not? Girls always said I have a good voice. I think it would be interesting. What do you think, Pi?”  
  
“Well, it would but you didn’t write any exams. Do you expect them to just let you join the university?”  
  
“Of course not, Pi. Are you an idiot?” Jin quickly got up from his bed and rushed towards his wardrobe. “I will go and ask them for an interview. They have to agree and then we will study together. See ya!” Jin smiled widely and without any warning ran out of his house.  
  
“And who’s the Bakanishi here? Heh… At least he didn’t drag me with him.” Yamapi exited Jin’s room and wanted to leave the house but stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway and smirked rubbing his hands together. “I guess it’s a good time to raid Jin’s fridge, ne? Wait for me pasta with chicken , I’m coming!” and he stormed to the kitchen.  
  
At the time when Yamapi was clearing Jin’s cupboards, the owner of the flat was gaining a lot of attention trying to find someone who would accept him into the university. It’s not a secret that what Jin wanted, would come true. This time wasn’t any different. The school’s board saw an opportunity to advertise their school. It was a good deal. Jin became a student and the board got their pictures with a famous model with the university in the background.  
  
Jin resigned from modeling. It stopped being interesting to him. He focused on his studies. It was quite hard to believe but somehow he really got a thing for music. In two years he made a simple music studio in his flat and wrote a few nice songs. He rarely sang them but he was waiting for the right time to show them to the world. After all he and Pi were just a third year students. It was time for a huge school project. Professors were choosing groups of four people every year. Every group had one second year student, two from third year and one person from the last year. Of course, all third graders had to do the project when second and last graders could decline. Fortunately, the more projects they did, the better grade they had at the end so nobody really wanted to resign from it.

  
Yamapi and Jin were teamed together. To their group, professor assigned one of the best students from last year, Nakamaru Yuichi. Both friends knew him quite well, Jin even more than Pi. He was a friend and a roommate to one of the bartenders at a popular club ‘Red Dream’ – I think it’s obvious why Jin chose to come there - Tanaka Koki. The guy looked like a typical young yakuza guy while Nakamaru was a good student and a coward. At first both, Jin and Yamapi, couldn’t understand why those two are able to live together but they soon discovered that Koki is a kind-hearted guy and an animal lover. Besides, the guys were friend since middle school when they formed a comedy duo named ‘TaNaka’.  
  
That left the last person of the group a second year, Mitsui Yue. Neither Jin nor Yamapi knew her but apparently Nakamaru did or at least heard about her from his classmate.  
  
“Who’s Mitsui Yue? Is she hot?” asked Yamapi who couldn’t wait to meet the girl.  
  
“Um… she’s quite… interesting, I guess.”  
  
“What do you mean by ‘interesting’?” Now even Jin couldn’t hide his excitement.  
  
“Well…” suddenly someone interrupted him.  
  
“She’s pretty but gloomy. She never laughs at my puns.” It was Taguchi Junnosuke, Jin and Yamapi’s classmate. The guy was nice but his jokes and huge smile easily made people angry.  
  
“Nobody laughs at your puns. It’s nothing new.”  
  
“You’re mean Akanishi-kun. Mitsui-chan is one of the best in our university. Once I saw her with a director of a famous music company. She declined his offer.” Best friends were stunned, a normal person wouldn’t refuse any offer from a well-known people.  
  
“That’s true. Ueda-kun told me that she likes challenges and doesn’t want an easy job.” Nakamaru added.  
  
When Jin asked about a mentioned guy, they were already in front of a music class. Since the doors were wide open, they could see a girl and a boy talking. Before they entered, Taguchi said his goodbye and ran off murmuring about an angry girl and new jokes to make up with her. Three guys just shrugged their shoulders and came inside the room.  
  
“…and when I dodged, his fist collided with a lamp-post.” The guy with red hair ended his speech with a smirk, when the girl only snorted.  
  
“Nice. You have to teach me this move later.” They both got up.  
  
“Sure. See you on Friday?” It was more like a statement than question.  
  
“Yeah, bye. Try not to run into those guys, Ueda-senpai. I want to actually see your moves.” The two shook each other’s hands and the guy exited greeting Nakamaru on the way. Then the girl saw them. “Oi, you’re late.”  
  
“What moves?” Jin just ignored her, Nakamaru froze in the spot, knowing that the girl doesn’t like bothering questions.  
  
“Boxing moves. Can we start now?” She asked irritated pointing to the stuff lying around and chairs in the middle of the class.  
  
“Yes, of course. Come on Yamashita-kun, Akanishi-kun.”  
  
“Okay, do you have any ideas?” She asked looking at them and folding her arms across her chest. Before Nakamaru could say something, Jin forestalled his intentions.  
  
“Nakamaru had been a producer already in his previous project. I think this time he should sing. I will sing too. Also Pi is good at singing but he said he wants to record everything with a camera. Do you think you can be a producer, Mitsui-chan? Oh, and this is the song I want us to sing.”  
  
Jin handed her a piece of paper with lyrics and notes. Nakamaru was terribly tense and nervous. Not only he didn’t like the lack of honorifics in his own name but he knew that Mitsui didn’t like being called with a –chan at the end. The biggest problem was Jin and his mouth. Mitsui didn’t take any orders, it didn’t matter if it was from friends or teachers. Akanishi unintentionally proclaimed himself a leader of their group and it might be the worst thing he had done in his whole life. Nakamaru was watching the girl trying to see if she’s mad but to his surprise she calmly put the sheet of paper down and looked at them.  
  
“First, don’t call me Mitsui-CHAN ever again.” She said emphasizing her point by lifting her fingers with every next sentence. “Second, don’t try to order me around and third…” she was gazing at Jin with cold eyes and the boy couldn’t help but feel slightly scared. “…we will do as you said. The song is good enough. We start right away. Nakamaru-senpai, don’t try to lie to me that you’re not good. Ueda-senpai had told me your abilities already. I had booked a studio for tomorrow. Yamashita-senpai, could you go and copy the lyrics later? Akanishi-senpai, can you play the song for me? I want to see what pace it should have.”  
  
Before anyone could object the girl started giving them tasks. At first Jin wanted to protest since it was his song and idea but he soon found out that the girl is more than just simply good, she was almost a genius. His first intention was to write a slow, peaceful song but Mitsui decided that it would be better to increase the pace of it, change a few lines and add some extra sounds. Jin was a little disheartened for a rest of the day. Next day when they meet at the studio, Mitsui let them sit down and played the song. It was a new version with violin, classic guitar, piano, percussion, bass, electric guitar and her vocal. The girl recorded the song using her voice to show the difference between both version. Surprisingly, all of them liked what she did, Jin even started to wonder if it wouldn’t be better if she sing the song. When he asked her how she was able to record the whole song in just one day, she just shrugged and said that she had nothing better to do anyway.  
  
Recording the song with men’s voices took another two days. Mitsui was not only good with recording but also could easily work with the newest computer programs and music consoles. The song was great but there was a second part of their task. They had to promote it and sell as many copies as they could sell. For Yue it wasn’t a problem. She took some photos, edited them and let Jin print them. She also had convinced the school board to make a small concert in the gym. Somehow the hardest thing to do was to persuade Nakamaru into singing on stage. The promotion was great. Before Jin knew, their song was bought by all the students at their university. I don’t have to add that they got the best grades and Nakamaru graduated as the best student of the year.  
  
A year passed. Jin was getting bored with his school life. He wanted to start working on his own projects. Yamapi was no better. They both wanted to do something. They were lying on the floor in Jin’s room and staring at the ceiling. From time to time one of them would go eat something but came back a few minutes later to lie back down again.  
  
“Hey, Pi?”  
  
“Hm?” The boy didn’t even have a strength to speak.  
  
“Maybe we can make a bet?”  
  
“A bet? What bet?” Yamapi looked at his friend intrigued.  
  
"Hm… We both want to be famous, right?” He sat up and his friend did the same. “We should our own bands. Whose band will be more famous, wins the bet. What do you say?” Jin stretched out his hand with a smirk. Yamapi gave him a lop-sided smile and shook his hand.  
  
“Then let’s see who’s better.”  
  
The moment later they both ran out of the flat. They both knew who they want in their bands. Yamapi had a few friends that might be a great help and one of them was currently in his own house. On the other side, Jin speeded up to the ‘Red Dream’. Tanaka and Nakamaru were there almost every day since his senpai worked there as a technician. Both guys agreed immediately. Well, Nakamaru wasn’t that eager but Koki wouldn’t let him flee – it was better to agree and avoid Koki’s puppy eyes and whines. At the moment when Jin wanted to rush out of the bar, he spotted a familiar red hair. It was Ueda. He was carrying a guitar and Taguchi was following him. Not wasting any more time he asked both boys to join his band. After a while both guys agreed though Ueda was rather reluctant towards the idea.  
  
The only thing that was missing was a manager. It didn’t take him long to figure out that the best person for the role is currently in the school’s gym – as reported Taguchi. All five of them rushed towards the university. On the way they started to think about the name of the band. They stopped arguing when they spotted Yamapi running towards the gym with Tegoshi, Koyama and Masuda trailing after him. Akanishi looked at his new band-mates and they all speeded up. Jin, Taguchi and Nakamaru rushed inside when Ueda and Koki were trying to stop Yamapi.  
  
Mitsui raised her eyebrow at the sight of her senpais. Before she could ask about anything, Jin offered her a job of a manager. She was confused. She wanted to decline but seeing a panting Nakamaru made her think twice about the offer. A few seconds later Yamapi and the rest ran towards them. The girl heard the second offer from Pi. They quickly told her about the bet seeing that she was getting irritated. She was slightly stunned – not every day someone gets two not so bad deals to consider. She asked a few question to the both bands. The most shocking was the fact that Ueda and Nishikido decided to join. She chose Akanishi’s band. She knew that Yamapi would be a better choice since the boy is rather passionate when it comes to music when Akanishi easily gets bored but she didn’t want to deal with Nishikido all the time. The guy had a sharp tongue and wouldn’t agree to her ideas. Ueda had a sharp tongue too when it came to Ryo but he didn’t like leading, he preferred to let other people handle everything.  
  
Yamapi and his friends came out of the gym. At the end they didn’t get a manager but the girl told them when they can find a good one and willing to deal with Nishikido. Utterly happy Akanishi sat at the stands with the rest of the guys and their new manager.  
  
“We should come up with the name. Do you have any propositions?” She asked them knowing that all of them had different personalities and it won’t be the easiest job. Well, she liked challenges.  
  
“Akanishi wanted to call us ‘Jin and T-TUNe’. I will say it now. NO.FREAKING.WAY!” Ueda had a point here.  
  
“Oi, it’s my band and I can name it however I want to!” Jin pouted and crossed his arms. Yue rolled her eyes and hit him in the head with her palm. He was shocked with her behaviour but she ignored him.  
  
“No, it’s not. It was your idea but the band is mine responsibility. The name is bad, it won’t sell. What would you say about… AT-TUN? An acronym for ALL your names.” She said glaring at Jin.  
  
“Do you think it will sell well?” asked Nakamaru who had a slight experience with economical stuff.  
  
“Yes, it will. The name is catching, quite simple and memorable. Trust me on this one.“ Then she smirked and added. ”Well, you have to believe me, I’m your manager from now on. Be prepared for it. I want to see you tomorrow at six in the morning in Yoyogi park for training.”  
  
She smiled mischievously and went home leaving the scared guys behind. Even Taguchi lost his smile when he felt hair on his neck stand on end. At the end her every day trainings were hard but helped them become a team. After just a few months, they were able to debut gaining a 10th place on Oricon chart. From a not known band they became one of the best bands in Japan.


	3. Divination.

**Chapter 3: Divination.**   
  
***A year later***

  
Yue was sitting on a chair glancing around the room. She was bored. She was here multiple times, it was hard to tell how many exactly. Sometimes she wondered how is it that people in the room don’t recognize her while she knew them all. On her left was a coffee machine. The guy was standing there waiting for the cup to get full.  
  
 _Exactly 3 tablespoons of sugar and then back to the desk, next eight stirs with a spoon and two small, quick gulps._ It wasn’t a guess on her side, it was his routine that she knew by heart. Every time at 2PM he would got himself a cup of hot coffee. Seven minutes after 2 o’clock, the door on her right would open and a tall guy would come into the room with hands on his hips and with a thrown out chest trying to impress a woman sitting across the room. Of course the woman would pretend that she doesn’t see him, yet giggle when he would give up and slouch his shoulders walking away. It would take three minutes. Next, the door on her left would open and another guy in brown leather jacket would step out pulling by an arm a smaller, young man in a not so good condition.  
  
Yue sighed. One more minute left and the tall guy will walk into the room. _Three, two, one…_ And there’s a familiar cracking sound. She doesn’t have to look, she just knows what’s going to happen. A few more minutes and she will be out of here. The place is one of those you wouldn’t like to end up at. She stood up from her seat and stop in front of the door. Three minutes passed and there they are. Like she had expected.  
  
She came closer and bowed in front of a bigger man. The man was looking at her for a moment. He recognized her, just like he immediately knew who the boy on his right is when he had seen him today at noon. Without any words he let the boy free and bowing slightly he returned to his office. Yue quickly grabbed the boy by his arm and took him out. He followed her silently. He knew she wasn’t mad but waiting for him wasn’t exactly entertaining. Yue was a type of person who would rather do something useful than sit and wait. He was still amazed that she had enough time to pick him up almost every week.  
  
When they finally stepped outside the girl released his hand and turned around. She was eyeing him from head to toe assessing his current look and trying to guess what had happened to him **_again_** that he ended up at the police station, **_again._** He only smiled at her innocently and she sighed giving up. They resumed their walk towards his flat.  
  
“Okay, Kazuya. Will you tell me what they accused you of this time or is it better for me to not know?” he shrugged his shoulders still smiling slightly.  
  
“It’s nothing. I ran into a bike this morning. My backpack got entangled in it. When I was trying to untangle it the owner came and called the police.”  
  
“Hm... that explains the police station but what’s with your t-shirt?” He looked down at the huge stains. She was right, the bike story wasn’t exactly explaining his current look though he knew she was already aware that the stains are connected to his disheveled hair and coming off button of his jacket. There was no point in asking about these things since the shirt was the main part of the story – she just knew it.  
  
“Well… before the bike incident I was trying to catch Takezawa-san.”  
  
“Director Takezawa from ‘Shippitsu Group’?”  
  
“Yeah. I almost caught him when a bunch of dogs jumped on me from the side and I fell down on the grass. They started licking me and stepping on me. One of them was really interested in my jacket.”  
  
“Heh, let me guess. Some girl was taking them on a walk and suddenly they wrenched out of her hands.”  
  
“Yup, exactly.” He said beaming.  
  
“And knowing you, you were happy that the dogs aren’t afraid of you, am I right?” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and small smile.  
  
“W-well, most of them are running away from me. And I love dogs!” He pouted and blushed lightly.  
  
“Don’t do this face in front of strangers if you don’t want to get sexually harassed.” She smirked teasing him while he pouted even more and glowered.  
  
In no time they were in his new flat. It was bigger than the previous one, clean and more comfortable. One bedroom, a kitchen, bathroom and small living room. It was a perfect apartment for Kame. Yue made sure it’s safe enough, she was also quite happy that it was close to her own place. She didn’t have to worry about him that much.  
  
In the living room Yue dropped heavily on the couch. Meanwhile Kame changed his clothes and prepared them cups of green tea in the kitchen. Green tea was the best to release a tension in muscles and the girl was stressed enough last couple of days. She really needed it. He didn’t have to ask what reasons of it were. There were two. Him and AT-TUN. They rarely talked about her work and he hadn’t found it necessary to know more than she had told him. In all honesty he didn’t even have any idea how the band-mates looked like nor did he know their names. You might think that by living in a big city with colorful ads on every building, you will know everything when it comes to music and stars but you have to remember that Kame is Kame. He didn’t have a TV or a radio – it was too dangerous for him. If you asked Yue, she would tell you a story called ‘Electric blanket and a wet Turtle’.  
  
Kame was a person who didn’t care about his surroundings when he set his eyes on something. He was simple-minded and stubborn. Also Kazuya loved new brand clothes and kitchen equipment. The only magazines in his house were about food and fashion. When he spotted something he liked, it was the only thing on his mind at the moment. Sometimes when he was in the better shape, without scars and ripped shirts, he would drag his friend for a shopping trip. She was silently watching him and people around. Especially when the boy wore fashionable clothes, had styled hair and didn’t wear his glasses. At those times people around him, boys and girls, would always look at him. Girls would giggle and boys would smirk. Then Yue would come closer to Kame and scare those people away. Not all of them, only those who would be a threat to her friend. Of course, Kazuya was oblivious to people’s stares. He was really a turtle. It was also why he never saw AT-TUN. He might go by the huge poster of the group and completely ignore it. Yue was a little impressed and jealous of his ability. At least he didn’t have to worry about everything.  
  
Yue was sipping on her tea while Kazuya was rummaging through his drawers. On the table were lying sheets of paper. They both got used to the view. Kame liked to write his songs and then leave them everywhere in the living room.  
  
“Kazuya?”  
  
“Hm?” He hummed in question still searching for papers.  
  
“Do you have any new songs for me?” He looked at her weirdly.  
  
“Well, I might have one but why do you ask so suddenly? It’s been a long time since you wanted one of my songs.”  
  
“Yeah, because I had a problem with the band’s leader. He refused to sing the song. He only agreed like two months ago when AT-TUN’s popularity decreased. It’s still not the best but after ‘Butterfly’ will become a single, it will totally get them the first place on Oricon.”  
  
“How can you be so sure?” Kazuya asked with doubt finally sitting down with a few sheets in his hand.  
  
“The song is great for a duo, it’s different from AT-TUN’s regular songs. It shows not only their potential but yours as well. You should already know that I’m never wrong when it comes to music.” She said seriously and then added. “So… do you have a song or not?”  
  
“Ah, yeah. Here.” He gave her a piece of paper and she started scanning it with her eyes.  
  
“Interesting… How do you see the song?”  
  
“You said once that there’s a beat-boxer and a rapper in AT-TUN, I thought it might be a good combination. Is it good? I’ve never written anything like this before.” He fidgeted nervously, waiting for her opinion. When it came to business she was quite cold, collected, serious and uncompromising. She would never accept a half done job. This time it was obvious that he did a good job when she lifted her head and smiled widely. She had this glint in her eyes that was always visible when she found something interesting and enjoyable.  
  
“I take it. It’s really good and would make our next single a huge hit. Just like ‘Butterfly’. What’s the title?”  
  
“It’s ’One On One’.”  
  
“Sounds like a battle to me. Okay, just sign here.” After the contract was signed Yue stood up and went towards the door to put on her black sneakers waiting for her at the genkan. Kazuya followed her. When she was ready to come out of his flat, she turned to him again. “One more thing. What should I write on singles? Your name?” He thought for a while.  
  
“Write K 2.” She smirked.  
  
“Okay, K.K. Take care of yourself and better if I don’t get another call from the police this week.” She winked and went out.  
  
“Yes, mother.” He rolled his eyes with a smile on his face and closed the door.

 

* * *

  
Saying that Yue was simply unhappy would be a huge understatement. She wasn’t just angry, she was seriously pissed off. Tatsuya, Koki, Junno and Yuichi were almost as mad as her. It was a day of their rehearsals. There were only two weeks left until their new single and a few huge promotional performances, yet Akanishi Jin wasn’t at the studio. It was normal that he was late but the band’s situation wasn’t perfect and they were expecting him to become more serious about it. Over the year he became more vain, too confident and full of himself. His songs were lacking real emotions and professionalism. She tried to talk to him but it was like talking to a wall, aimless.  
  
“Hey, guys! What’s up?” Jin came inside like nothing happened and greeted his band-mates with a big smile.  
  
“Oh, look! It’s Bakanishi in all his glory! What happened that Your Majesty decided to honor us with his presence? Did Your Highness want to see his humble minions?” Yue couldn’t restrain her tongue. She was too furious to even try acting calmly. T-TUN knew that it will be better for them to not meddle into it. Mitsui was scary, when she was mad. The only good thing was that she was mostly using her sharp tongue with them but it wasn’t unknown for people that her fists were dangerous.  
  
“What's with this sarcasm? It’s not needed. I was just slightly late.” He said with a smile.  
  
“Slightly?! You want to tell me that 2 hours is nothing?! I wonder if you would be that late on your own concert.” She fumed.  
  
“I’m sorry, I really am but I slept in. Now, calm down, sweetheart, okay? Breath in, breath out. You’re way too stressed.” He wasn’t rude but in his mind calling people with pet names was a mark of affection.  
  
“Let me tell you something, _sweetheart._ You’re not a superstar nor a king, a president or a god. If you come late one more time, I will make sure you won’t be able to sit for a next month! Are we clear?” He gulped. His eyes were wide opened. Unconsciously he and the rest of AT-TUN put their hands on their behinds. Her threats were always serious and knowing a few people that unfortunately were her victims, they were sure it would be painful.  
  
The rest of their rehearsal went smoothly. Akanishi was a good singer and dancer so he quickly made up for the lost time. Mitsui regained her composure and was satisfied with the guys progress. Everything was quite good. She was even happier when Koki and Maru agreed to sing the new song. This time Jin didn’t say anything still partly afraid after their manager’s outburst.  
  
When their work was done, they all decided to relax in the ‘Red Dream’. Sitting at the table in a VIP section of the room, they ordered beers. They could finally take a break and talk like friends. They laughed, teased one another and tried to ignore Junno’s weird puns. The evening was rather peaceful and nice. At some point Yue pulled out her pack of cards to make the night even more entertaining. Everyone was eager to know their future and happily gathered around her. Well, everyone besides Jin.  
  
“Yo, Akanishi, why don’t you want to know if you get lucky?” Koki asked Jin but Ueda answered instead.  
  
“He’s already a walking luck. There’s nothing that would change it.” It was hard to disagree with it.  
  
“Haha, yeah. I’m pretty lucky but it’s not like I ‘m not human. I also have bad luck sometimes.”  
  
“Yeah? Like when?” Ueda asked with a sarcastic snort.  
  
“Like at the time when I… no, wait, I got that in the end. But what’s with the time when my guitar… wait, I won a new one in a radio game.” Ueda smirked and Yue rolled her eyes. “Ah, there was this contest for the best cosplay. I lost this one, ha!” He grinned triumphantly and crossed his arms on his chest.  
  
“But Jin-kun, you got a voucher for a free trip to an onsen for the best make-up.” Jin couldn’t deny it. Junno was right, he got three free days.  
  
“You see? You’re the luckiest guy on Earth. Yamashita is right.” Ueda said.  
  
“What Yamapi has to do with it and when did you talk to him?” He was getting annoyed.  
  
“NEWS were recording before us today. Yamashita-kun said that he told you about it two days ago, Akanishi-kun.” Maru tried to mitigate the situation. Jin was quite dumbfounded when suddenly his face lighted up and he started laughing.  
  
“Haha, Pi and his weird ideas. Don’t believe everything he says, he’s quite crazy.” He said smiling.  
  
“ _Just like you.”_ Yue said under her breath and then added. “Okay, so do you want to hear what my cards say or will you pass?”  
  
“I will pass. It’s somewhat stupid to rely on some piece of paper. It won’t tell me anything that I don’t know already.” He said with a small smile.  
  
“You would be really surprised actually. And don’t underestimate fortune telling, please. It’s not magic but fate, and fate is powerful.”  
  
“Haha, fine. Okay, guys, I’m going now. I don’t want to be late again.”  
  
He shivered slightly and left them alone. Mitsui was looking after him. The guy wasn’t a bad person but his attitude towards work and cockiness were getting on her nerves. Though it wasn’t the thing that urged her to look at him. It was this weird impulse. Or maybe more like an unknown aura on him that she caught in the corner of her eyes. But when she looked at him, the strange vibe was gone. _Hm… I guess, it was just my imagination_ , she thought and turned back to scold Taguchi for another of his lame jokes.

 

* * *

  
After Yue left his apartment, Kazuya started working on a new plan to catch one of well-known producers. It may be hard to believe but he knew schedules of almost all of them. Everything was safely kept on the only modern device he had - his mobile phone.  
  
Kazuya came out of his flat about twenty minutes before 6 o’clock. At this hour producer from ‘Shippitsu Group’ went home. The plan was really simple – wait outside their building and then give the woman a CD with songs. The realization of this plan was more difficult, especially because it was Kame who was supposed to execute it. If his friend was with him, she would stopped him right away. The boy was so focused on his task that he hadn’t realized that wearing a beanie, black sunglasses, a light scarf that was covering half of his face and a long-sleeved sweater wasn’t the best idea. He looked suspicious and dangerous. Nobody needs to be a genius to know that his plan was a total fiasco.  
  
Kazuya stood across the street from the building. Being a turtle he was, he hadn’t notice curious stares of passer-byes, his eyes were following the woman that just exited the tower. Kame could consider himself lucky, the producer decided to go home through the park. Any normal person would say: ‘No, not that park again.’, but it was Kazuya – the boy with the worst luck that ever existed. There wasn’t a thing that would scare him away.  
  
Not thinking much, Kame started walking slowly after her trying to avoid being seen. It was slowly getting dark and the park was desolate. The woman turned around and Kame hid in nearby bushes. Unfortunatly for him, the woman saw him and took him for a stalker. When Kazuya finally came out, the woman was walking away and the boy ran after her. It was hard for Kazuya to register what happened next. The woman knew how to protect herself and without hesitation kicked him between his legs and threw him over her shoulder. She had quite a good eye because Kame landed in a pond.  
  
Kazuya went back home wet and sore. His CD was destroyed and it wasn’t even the woman’s fault. When he had come out of the pond, the CD had slipped from his backpack breaking on the pavement. He left pieces of the compact disc on the chest of drawers and went to the kitchen to find a bag of ice for his hurt lower body parts. Somebody else would give up on his place but Kame just sat on his couch and started thinking of another plan.

 

* * *

  
A few days passed. After Yue’s scolding, Jin was always on time and rehearsals were going smoothly. The guys became serious with their work and after promising to not skip practice, Yue let them be on their own so she could take care of other things connected to their upcoming single. AT-TUN was in the studio from early morning and decided that they should take a break. Jin and Koki sat on the couch when the rest of the band took a sit on nearby chairs. Next to the couch was a small coffee table with magazines lying on top. Koki grabbed one of them and started lazily turning pages. He wasn’t that interested in it but there was nothing better to do. Jin closed his eyes trying to relax tensed muscles and slowly started drifting off to sleep. A sudden shriek on his left made him jump and look at the rapper of the group.  
  
“Guys, do you know that Yue will be a judge at tomorrow’s concert?”  
  
“You mean that contest for unknown artist?” Jin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when Koki nodded his head.  
  
“Actually, yes, we know. If you two had listened to her this morning, you would know about it too. Why do you think she let us work all alone in the studio?” Ueda replied.  
  
“Oi, I listened to her, it just… slipped my mind.” Ueda only rolled his eyes at Koki’s antics.  
  
“Ne~… wouldn’t it be nice to perform in front of so many people? We would be the only professional band there!” Junno commented with a wide smile. Ueda ignored him while Jin and Koki were lost in their fantasies about screaming fans.  
  
“Besides NEWS. They’re the event’s special guests.” Everyone looked at Nakamaru with curiosity, even Ueda dropped his poker face.  
  
“NEWS will be there? How is it possible?”  
  
“Apparently management of the contest thought it would bring more people. Yue-san said that it’s a part of their promotion.” Nakamaru shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“Well, Pi said something about their upcoming album but he never mentioned the show.” Jin sulked slightly but it didn’t take long and he was smiling happily again. “We will play there too. Our single is coming out next week, we should promote it.”  
  
“But how do you want to get there? Yue won’t let us.” Ueda raised his eyebrow.  
  
“Don’t worry, we won’t tell her and I’m sure we will find a way to perform.”  
  
The guys knew that Jin was stubborn so trying to disagree with him would be useless. The man was in a very good mood and took his band-mates for lunch to a small but lovely restaurant. The day was nice and warm even though a weatherman forecasted a rain. They sat outside to enjoy the Sun. At first they were behaving properly but it didn’t take long and they started to tease one another. Small pranks made them laugh and squirm, especially when they found a great fun in putting ice cubes under their shirts. Putting it simply, they were annoyingly loud.  
  
At the table next to them was sitting a man in elegant suit reading newspaper and drinking coffee. For the time being he was ignoring disturbing noises from the table next to his but after 10 minutes he had enough - he couldn’t read peacefully. After a hectic morning he only wanted a few quiet minutes just for himself so he could relax and forget about his work. Irritated with the voices he put down his newspaper and glaring at the boys ordered them to lower their voices. The boys were slightly startled but bowed apologetically and the angry man lifted the piece of paper again. He hadn’t read even one line when the thought struck him like a lightning – the boys next to him were AT-TUN. He quickly raised from his chair and approached the guys.  
  
“Excuse me, aren’t you AT-TUN?” The boys were surprised and dumbfounded at the same time.  
  
“Yes, we are. Can we do something for you, mister…” Finally Jin spoke.  
  
“Ah, yes, I’m sorry. My name’s Kobayashi Minoru, here’s my business card. I’m responsible for Saturday’s concert for new talents.” The man introduced himself and Akanishi smirked inside his mind.  
  
“Of course. What can we do for you, Kobayashi-san?” He smiled nicely knowing that it’s the best way to get what he wants.  
  
“You see, there were supposed to be two known bands to lure more people but we got the message this morning that the vocalist of one of these bands is sick and they won’t sing. And here comes my question. Would it be a problem if AT-TUN performed tomorrow instead?” The man was looking at them with a slight fear but mostly with hope.  
  
“We have to ask our manager, Mitsui Yue-san. I’m not wrong saying that you had a pleasure to meet her already.”  
  
“Oh, naturally. She’s a very important person in the industry.”  
  
He said trying to look sincere even though his smile was too wide, it was hard to not see his big front teeth. Akanishi nodded and excused himself from the table. A few meters away but still in the man’s sight he pretended to choose a number on his mobile phone. Knowing that Yue won’t let them be a part of the huge event, he didn’t even try to talk to her. It was easier to deal with her later when it’s too late for any change of planes. Jin knew she will be complaining but he preferred to have a mad manager on his side than a lost chance of becoming bigger stars. A couple of minutes later he came back to the table with a smile.  
  
“There’s no problem, Mitsui-san agreed. At what time should we come?” Akanishi answered before the other members could interrupt.  
  
“At 5 PM would be great. Thank you so much, Akanishi-san!”  
  
“You should thank Mitsui-san, Kobayashi-san. She’s the one that accepted the offer.” The man bowed deeply and disappeared almost immediately bouncing from happiness.  
  
“Jin, are you crazy?!” Koki asked, the rest of the guys were confused. They couldn’t believe that their friend agreed on it so easily. “Yue will kill you! And then she will kill us or worse! She will make us work as long as we won’t be dead!” Yeah, that was the biggest problem, Mitsui Yue, their manager. They were horrified. The girl can turn their lives into hell pretty quickly and effortlessly.  
  
“Again, don’t worry. Leave her to me.” He was smiling widely and the boys could only sigh defeated.  
  
“It was quick, ne? Jin-kun is like a magician! He says something and it’s bouncing out of the hat like a bunny!”  
  
Junno exclaimed and the boys groaned. Of course, Taguchi just had to see Kobayashi-san’s weird teeth and gait, he couldn’t stop himself from making another lame pun. The guys ignored him and went away leaving him with a huge bill to pay.

 

* * *

  
There was heard a soft click and the girl stepped into the apartment. Yue went to Kazuya’s kitchen and started to unpack a big bag of groceries. From the bathroom she could hear a quiet groan. She sighed and grabbed a pack of ice from the fridge. She got herself a pair of spare keys to Kame’s flat not without a reason. The boy not once proved to be unable to come and unlock the door when something had happened to him. This time was no different from the others.  
  
“I don’t even want to hear it.” She said and crouched next to the boy that was sitting on a small stool trying to bandage his calf. She slapped his hands away and put the ice on a hurt place.  
  
“It’s not my fault that cats don’t like me.” He pouted but hissed almost immediately when the ice touched his skin.  
  
“Then stop going to that freaking park every single day. Can’t you look for people from music industry in less dangerous places? Wait, scratch that, I forgot that for you there isn’t any safe place. Can’t you use your phone to call them instead of stalking them?” She dabbed the wound with a disinfectant and bandaged it skillfully. Having Kame for a friend could easily turn you into a perfect nurse.  
  
“But they wouldn’t listen to me. Besides I’m not a stalker, I’m just trying to find the best moment to give them my lyrics.” She sighed again and they left the bathroom.  
  
“Be thankful that the cat only used his paw and not teeth. Sit on the couch, I will make us something to eat.” He did as was told and looked towards kitchen, observing Yue with concern.  
  
“You know, Yue-chan? You’re sighing a lot lately. Is everything alright?” He wasn’t sure if it was because of him but a tired best friend was an unhappy best friend.  
  
“Well, you give me a headache at least once a week but don’t worry, it’s not only you. I’ve got some more work related stuff to take care of lately”  
  
He wasn’t really surprised with it. The girl was very passionate with her work, just like him. She came back to the living room with a big plate of sandwiches and two glasses of orange juice. After they ate most of what was on the plate, the girl closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch. Kame didn’t want to disturb her, he hadn’t seen her relaxed for a very long time though he could see that she needs a few days off to be fully composed and happy. Her muscles were way too tensed.  
  
“You should take some days off. You look distressed. Maybe I should massage you, I think it’s quite painful.” He said looking at her strained arms. To his skills you can add ‘magic hands’ – Yue hadn’t hidden her shock when the guy turned out to be an amazing stress reliever.  
  
“Thanks for the offer but the treatment from you always lulls me to sleep and, unfortunately, I have to go back to the studio. I have to talk with the idiotic leader about the call I got on my way here.” He was looking at her with big eyes when she stood up taking the plate and glasses back to the kitchen.  
  
“Call about what?” He asked trailing behind her.  
  
“You know there’s a contest tomorrow, right?” He only nodded and she continued. “You see, I’m supposed to be a judge there. AT-TUN was completely unrelated to it since they have to practice their newest single but suddenly this Kobayashi guy calls me and says how happy he is that AT-TUN will be a part of the concert.”  
  
“Wait…” Kazuya furrowed his eyebrows in deep concentration. Yue leaned against the wall and eyed him with curiosity. He was a person that didn’t bother his mind with useless things but apparently the topic was interesting. Suddenly his face lit up with excitment and with a big grin he exclaimed. “Take me to the concert!”  
  
“…Huh?!” She was stunned and her jaw almost touched the floor in shock.  
  
“Look! There will be a lot of famous people. I’m sure that I would find someone interested in my lyrics. Take me with you, please~! Yue-chan~! I will be your personal masseur for three months! Please, please, please~!” Kazuya did his famous and irresistible puppy eyes. It surely was irresistible for everyone… except for Yue, she knew him too long to fall for his tricks.  
  
“No way, Kame. I will have five idiots to take care of, I don’t need to have another one next to me.” She said and got ready to go out.  
  
“But…”  
  
“No, Kazuya! If you want to go there, find some other way. Bye.”  
  
She closed the door rather harshly. Kame stood in front of his door fuming for a few minutes but it was just a matter of time when he was happily sitting at the table and scribbling on the piece of paper. It’s not hard to guess that he was excitedly planning how to get to the backstage. It was simple to find the back entrance to the building. Also he knew that he needs to pass by the guards and then find the artist but there was one more problem, the hardest thing to figure out - how to avoid Mitsui Yue.

 

* * *

  
“Can you tell me what the heck were you thinking agreeing to Kobayashi-san’s request without my approval?” Mitsui asked the moment Jin opened the door to his flat.  
  
“I knew you would say ‘no’ that’s why I said ‘yes’.” He answered while the girl put her bag on the table and fell heavily on a comfortable chair.  
  
“Oh, so you just wanted to piss me off, **_again_**. Nice to know!” she said sarcastically, already exhausted from dealing with the guy’s stupidity. In the meantime, he disappeared in the other room.  
  
“Sorry for that. We really wanted to be there, so I just took advantage of the situation. It will help our promotion.” He came back and handed a glass of cold water to the girl. She thanked him with a nod and took a sip.  
  
“I really don’t like it when you do something behind my back. I’m your manager and let me remind you that it was **_you_** who wanted me as a part of your band because of that foolish bet. If you won’t listen to me then I don’t know why I’m wasting my time with you. Apparently, I’m not needed in AT-TUN and you know perfectly well that finding another job is not a problem for me.” She put down her glass. Yue was way calmer than when she came – cold water can do miracles.  
  
“I’m really sorry. What can I do so you would forgive me?” For a while he was smiling lightly but suddenly he frowned.”You won’t cancel our performance, will you?” She looked at his scared face and sighed.  
  
“No, I won’t. It’s too late to find someone else in your place, anyway. But…” She was eyeing him for a few minutes, she liked to see him tensed and nervous. At least she wasn’t the only one stressed at the moment. She remembered his attitude in a bar a few days ago. Lately he was making her angry way too often and she started to wonder how to punish him. “I will forget about the whole incident with Kobayashi-san if you let me foretell you. What do you say?” She asked already taking out her cards. In her opinion, there wasn’t a better punishment than letting the fate take care of everything.  
  
“…Okay.” He was taken aback by this simple way of getting forgiveness.  
  
“Choose carefully one of the cards and give it to me.” He handed her a card and she had to conceal her surprise. She was staring at the card for some time and Jin got impatient.  
  
“Well, what it says?”  
  
“Eh? Ah… Nothing important, just that something interesting may happen in your life.” She said quickly.  
  
“Really? Cool. So… are we okay?”  
  
“Yeah, don’t worry. We should take care of your solos now.”  
  
She hid her cards and distracted him with new ideas for songs. He couldn’t grasp why she changed the topic but quickly dismissed the thought not wanting to add fuel to the fire. Fortunately Jin was serious with his own music and paid attention to Yue. They discussed future projects and new single, also the girl showed him the newest song that Yuichi and Koki were supposed to sing together. Jin wasn’t especially happy about wasting money on another song from the unknown guy but since he wouldn’t be the one to perform it, he left the decision to his band-mates. Carefully they chose the songs for the concert and when everything was signed and sealed they decided to call it a day.

 

* * *

  
Yue was sitting on the couch in her apartment with a hot chocolate in her hands. Finally she could relax and forget about the exhausting day. She was still mad at AT-TUN, especially Akanishi but Kame also made her worried. The boy just couldn’t sit on his butt in one place for a whole day, he had to go and make a mess. She was glad that he tried his best in cleaning up after himself but she was even happier that after so many years he was relying on her more. She still could recall the times when he had been hiding the truth from her and doing almost everything alone. Now she was more worried about his weird ideas than him in particular.  
  
She was feeling serenely and she closed her eyes in bliss. All the bad thoughts escaped from her mind and she could rest. Silence was the best after a long day. Her eyes snapped open when she remembered the evening at Akanishi’s flat. She looked around for her bag and spotted it next to the door. She carried it to the couch and opened it. Without rush, she took out her cards. For a while she was contemplating one specific card, the one Jin had chosen. Then she shuffled the cards and laid them on the table. Yue closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly started to move her outstretched hand above the cards. Her hand landed on the fourth card from the left and she opened her eyes. When she looked at the card, there was no surprise on her face. She came to the window with a blank face and took a sip of her chocolate staring at the dark buildings outside. Suddenly she snorted only to start laughing hysterically the second later. When she calmed down, she came closer to the table with a smirk and threw the card on the table. _Well, I think that someone’s life might turn upside down really soon..._ she thought and turning off the lights, she went to her bedroom.  
  
Evenly arranged cards were lying on the table. All of them faced the surface of the piece of furniture besides one interesting card. That one card was poorly thrown on the top of the rest and that one card had the most intriguing meaning of all of them – ‘Wheel of Fortune’, the card of the sudden and unpredictable change…


	4. Twisted Luck.

**Chapter 4: Twisted Luck**

  
  
SATURDAY – MORNING

Kazuya was crouching behind a garbage can in a dark alley outside the building in which was going to take place the contest. A few meters away from his hiding place stood one of the guards and a man in an expensive suit. At first Kame wasn’t pleased; The men stood exactly in front of the back door and he couldn’t even try to get inside. His annoyance quickly disappeared when he heard them talking about the evening. Apparently preparations were going smoothly and everything was almost done.

“Okuda-san, I hope that your people are ready. We don’t want any trespassers.“

“Of course, Kobayashi-san. There will be two guards at the main entrance, one guard will be watching the door for dancers and staff.”

“What with the back door?” Kobayashi was concerned about performers’ safety.

“We can’t lock the door and there’s no point in having a guard there. The alley is dark and open from both sides. One guard won’t be able to defend himself if there are two or more offenders.”

“Can’t we put two guards here?”

“I’m sorry but we don’t have enough people. Besides we need them more inside.

“If you say so…” Kobayashi didn’t know what to think about it, the guard saw his hesitation.

“Don’t worry, sir. Here, let me show you. It’s impossible to get inside behind our backs.”

Okuda took out the plan of the building and put it on one of the containers next to the door. Kame, interested in the map, stuck out his head from behind the garbage can. He was observing the men for a few minutes. Suddenly he heard a meow and jumped up startled but quickly crouched down again hiding from eyes of both men. His eyes widened at the sight of a stray cat looking curiously at him. He prayed that the cat won’t come any closer; he didn’t want to be caught by the guard. The man looked tough and was much taller than Kazuya. Kame was sure that he would end up with a black eye, broken ribs and an internal bleeding if the man found him. Everything was better than a trip to the hospital. Well… maybe except Yue – the girl was the scariest person he knew, even this guard wouldn’t stand against her.

Fortunately, the cat was more interested in the contents of the container and jump on top of it. The men got back to explaining the plan knowing that it was just some hungry cat. Kame looked at them again when a sudden loud noise was heard on the other side of the alley. Alarmed men quickly made their way towards the weird sound. They forgot to take the plan which got blown by wind and landed just a step away from Kazuya. Kame, seeing that the men disappeared around the corner, stood up and came closer to the plan. His eyes lit up and he quickly picked up the piece of paper. That was exactly what he needed to get inside the building when the time comes.

Kazuya looked up from the paper when he could hear voices of the two men. They were coming back. He hid the plan in a back pocket of his jeans and rushed towards the other end of the alley. Thankfully, he was able to escape before the men saw him.

  
* * *  
  
SATURDAY – AFTERNOON

  
Even though Jin was known for being late, members of AT-TUN surprisingly were on time. Kobayashi was waiting for them at the door for artists. After a quick exchange of courtesies, the man showed them the way to their dressing room. Koki, Ueda and Nakamaru were surprised that their costumes were ready; they thought that Mitsui won’t help them with the performance after jin’s ‘brilliant’ plan.

Their dressing room wasn't especially specious but it was enough for them to relax after their performance.

Suddenly the door next to theirs fall open. They all looked at the left. They weren't surprised seeing NEWS standing in the doorway with wide smiles on their faces. Before anyone could say anything both bands heard a loud squeal and Yamapi jumped on Jin. The boy was surprised by the sudden action from his friend and fell on his back with Pi on top of him.

"Okay, Pi. I'm happy to see you too but can you get up now? You're heavy." Jin patted his friends back in a friendly manner.

"Sorry, Jin. I just saw Mitsui a few minutes ago. She was quite... excited. Last time when I had seen her like that, you looked like a zombie after her sadistic training. I thought that you're dead this time and she's celebrating it." They stand up from the floor.

"I'm still alive. She was angry but at the end she let me off the hook. I was lucky." He laughed while Ueda and Nishikido rolled their eyes - it wasn't anything new. “What are you going to sing tonight? It’s a promotional event for you, right?”

“Yes, it’s a good opportunity for us. More people will buy our future albums.” Yamapi’s smiled got wider and mischievous. “It’s also a way to win our bet~!”

“Haha, you can dream on! We are way better than your cute, candy-like band.”

“Like yours is any better. You only sing ballads. It’s a miracle that people don’t fall asleep during your concerts.”

“At least we have good voices and we look professional. Who’s your fashion designer? A seven year old girl?”

“Oh? Is that so? I wonder if people really like your girly shriek, a yakuza guy, a game-addicted clown, an old man and a pretty princess standing on the stage in ‘oh, so cool~’ clothes.”

Yamapi said with a smirk that vanished from his face to appear on Jin’s a second later. Pi got paler and started backing off slowly with his hands stretched out in front of him. Ueda was coming closer to him with a death glare. He was furious. He didn’t care if the boy just wanted to make fun of Akanishi, NO ONE called him princess! He jumped in Yamapi’s direction. The boy start running away with his high-pitched scream echoing through the building.

“And who has a girly shriek now?” Jin called after them when the rest of the boys were laughing hard from Pi’s misery.

  
* * *  
  
SATURDAY – EVENING

  
Kame stuck out his head from behind the wall observing the entrance for dancers. There was only one guard, just like the plan said. The man was standing by the opened door tapping on the pavement impatiently and waiting for one technician that was supposed to come with an additional amplifier. He was late and the show started a few minutes ago.

Kazuya hid behind the wall and fixed his clothes. The boy had a small bruise on his left cheek but good make-up covered it up. He adjusted his cap hiding his hair and eyes under it. He was determined enough to stole the technician’s clothes. The poor man had been stuck in a small trailer that had brought all the needed equipment earlier that day. Of course, the man tried to get through the door when Kame was closing it so the boy got hit by it. Thankfully, Kame wasn’t as weak as he looked and he was able to imprison the man inside.

Kazuya grabbed a hand cart with the amplifier and confidently walked around the corner. The guard spotted him immediately. He was aware that the boy should be inside already so he just gave him a cold quick glare to reprimand him and ordered to come inside. Kame didn’t think twice, startled by the tough man; he went into the building dragging the cart behind him. When the boy was away from the entrance he screamed in his mind from happiness. First part of the plan – completed.

The boy quickly took out a change of clothes from his backpack that was secretly hidden on one side of the amplifier. He pulled off his cap and left it with the cart’s handle. He hurriedly made his way toward the toilet. Once inside the cabin he started to undress from his coverall but when the garment met the floor, Kazuya heard fast steps and a creak of the door. His heart jumped in his chest. If someone decided to use his cabin, they would caught him. He turned around and looked at the lock. He was quite contented seeing that it was locked. His heart speeded up again when someone knocked on his door. At first he panicked but then he remembered that no one would recognize him from his voice. It was a men’s room after all and the only person that knew his speech was a girl.

Even though, he tried to imitate an old man’s tone. It was a perfect imitation because the guy outside the cabin excused himself and left a few minutes later. Kazuya exhaled the air that he didn’t know he held all this time. He put on his jeans, a jacket and his glasses. He grabbed his backpack and exited the toilet.

“Where to go, where to go… This way.”

He whispered and looked around the corridor. He choose going on the right. Any other person would look at the map but Kazuya couldn’t. Not anymore. The boy lost it about an hour after he had stole it from under the guard’s nose. When he was getting closer to the end of the hall, he heard animated voices. Kame glued himself to the left wall and warily approached the first door. He crouched down and took a look inside. He didn’t know the guys inside the room but something was telling him that they must be a main reason of a huge crowd of girls waiting at the main entrance of the building.

Seeing that the boys were preoccupied with a talk about some ‘boxing princesses and pigs with long tongues’, he quietly slunk himself along the corridor passing by another, this time closed door.

  
* * *

 

The guard was bored. He was standing there for quite some time and he knew there wasn’t any possibility that someone would come in or out of the door for the next three hours. All artists, dancers and staff were inside working hard to entertain the mass of people.

He looked around checking if his boss wasn’t somewhere near him and pulled out a small chair from behind one of a box lying aimlessly in the alley. He sat there and grasped a middle sized lunch box and a thermos with a hot lemon tea. It was a late spring but nights were still cold at times.

The man was enjoying the taste of his sweet drink when suddenly an utterly exhausted man appeared in front of him. He was breathing heavily and propped his hand against his knees. The guard was even more confused when the unknown man snatched a cup from him and quaffed the content of it.

“Who are you?! And give back my cup! It’s a present from my wife.”

“I’m… s-sorry…” he panted. “I’m a… technician… I was supposed to… bring an amplifier.” The guard glared at him suspiciously.

“Someone already got us the amplifier. You should choose a better excuse if you want to get inside. I can’t let you in.”

“It wasn’t me! Argh...! I mean, some guy locked me up in the trailer. If some old lady hadn’t free me, I would be stuck there for another few hours.”

“How can I believe you? Do you have any proof?” The tired man pulled out a mobile phone from his pocket and made a quick call. A minute later Kobayashi and Okuda showed up in the doorway.

“What’s going on? Takeda-san, what are you doing outside? Shouldn’t you be backstage helping with lights?” Kobayashi was puzzled.

“Yeah, I should but some guy disguised as me tricked the guard here and came inside!”

“Wait, does it mean that we have a trespasser in the building? Damn!” Okuda took out his intercom. ”We have an intruder! I repeat, we have an intruder! Find and catch him!”

The main guard and the technician entered the building while the event organizer stayed outside. Kobayashi paled visibly and leaned on the door-frame.

If they won’t find the man, his career is over...

  
* * *

 

Kazuya was shocked realizing that it was one of the rare moments when he actually had chosen a good way. He was exactly where he wanted to be - backstage. He was one step closer to finding one of famous producers who maybe would like to buy his songs.

Kame was closely observing people. The staff were running from one place to another preparing things for the next performance. The boy could easily guess that the main artists would be up on stage in a few minutes. Everyone was excited and nervous; they would meet their idols really soon and every little thing should be perfect.

He eyes stopped looking around when he spotted an elegant man in dark grey suit talking on the phone. Kazuya’s eyes sparkled. It was a really famous twinkle that appeared in his eyes every time he was happy or proud of his achievement. Yue called it ‘the glint’ - she was alerted whenever she saw it because what Kazuya thought was a joyful event, it wasn’t the same for her. There were times when he enjoyed being smeared with barbeque sauce and the poor girl had to clean him up since the boy was daydreaming way too much to even realize what state he was in.

Not wasting any more time, Kame started walking towards the man, waving to catch his attention. He opened his mouth to say something when an angry shout reached his ears. He turned around and his eyes widened. He turned around on his heels and run away in the direction of a metal ladder that leaded to the higher parts of the stage construction.

“Hey, you! Get back here!”

The man screamed and run after the boy. Another guard quickly followed them. Once Kazuya was at the top of the structure he looked at the stage and the audience. It was a mesmerizing view that made him lose concentration and forget about the two men chasing him. He was a songwriter but he couldn’t deny that the stage, colorful lights, stylish costumes and cheerful scream of the fans, didn’t attract him. Deep in his heart he knew he wanted to perform his own songs himself but he aware of the fact that he might unintentionally hurt someone during the show. It was better for now to just write songs and sell them to different artists.

A sound of fast steps brought him back to Earth. He looked to his left and yelled surprised. The men were just a few meters away from him. It was just a matter of time before they catch him and he will end up at the police station again and he wasn’t sure if he wanted Yue to know about his ‘break-in’ into the building. Without thinking he rushed to the ladder on the other side of the construction. Unfortunately, his backpack got tangled up in one of lines connected to the curtain. He ripped away his property, not looking at the damage he left behind.

  
* * *

 

Jin stood outside the backdoor with a lighted cigarette in his hand. He brought it to his mouth and breath in the smoke to exhale it seconds later. He needed a little break from his friends. Yamapi was a good guy but awfully clingy, especially today. It made Jin realize how much he neglected the younger boy. They both were working hard to get his bands on top of music charts in the country and somehow along the way they stopped hanging out as much as before their debuts. It wasn’t that bad actually. They finally could extend their worlds and find new friends. They’ve been more experienced now. They still were seeing each other quite often, at least once a week, but rehearsals and upcoming single made it impossible to meet up last couple of weeks.

Jin relaxed. He was a loud man but he liked to calm himself down before going on stage. It’s not that he was nervous, it was the opposite. He was always excited just at the mere thought of performing so before the actual show he needed a few minutes just for himself.

He turned his head towards the door that made a small noise. Mitsui came out through the doorway and walked up to him. Her expression was neutral which was a good sign. She wasn’t angry or annoyed so for once he won’t get scolded.

“Yo.” She said, crossed her arms and leaned her side on the wall.

“Yo. Is it the time?” He asked quietly.

“Almost.” She looked at his right hand. “I hope that cigarettes won’t destroy your voice. It’s the only thing that’s stopping me from kicking you out of the band.” For inexperienced eyes she might seem serious but Akanishi knew she was just teasing him.

“You forgot about my amazing hips that make fangirls drool.” He smirked and rolled his hips to emphasize his words.

“Don’t be so full of yourself.” The girl snorted and a small lopsided smile appeared on her face. “Whatever. Just come back inside in a while.”

She turned around and soon disappeared at the door. The alley was silent again. The boy finished his cigarette a few minutes later and stepped on the still lighted stub. He was about to enter the building when he heard a shriek coming out from around the corner.

  
* * *

  
Yue went backstage to check on the rest of AT-TUN. Her anger from yesterday faded completely and she was glad that the guys got the chance to perform on a big stage in front of the five thousand people; it will help them to get used to having concerts in a enormous places like Tokyo Dome or Yokohama Arena. She wanted them to be stars. She would never admit it but she honestly liked their songs and was proud of their work.

Absorbed in her thoughts she barely heard a voice calling her name. When she looked up she saw one of the producers, also one of the judges in the contest. She smiled politely and bowed while the man approached her.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mitsui-san. I’m Nakata Haruki, a director of ‘International Sounds Record’. I heard a lot about you and your band.” the man gave her his business card and smiled warmly.

“It’s nice to meet you too. ‘International Sounds Record’ has a really good reputation. My boys would be excited to have a possibility to record at one of your studios.”

“Thank you, we do our best to live up to the expectations of our customers. Lately we bought a few brand new…”

The man was nice and Yue found it enjoyable to listen to him. She didn’t have many occasions to talk with someone from music industry and Nakata knew a lot about recording and advertising. She was chatting with the man being oblivious to a pair of eyes that were watching jealously from afar. Before the said person could interrupt the conversation, Kobayashi-san ran up to the pair.

“Mitsui-san, Nakata-san, I’m sorry for disturbing you.” He bowed deeply.

“It’s okay. Is something wrong?” Yue asked the nervous man.

“Unfortunately, yes. We have an intruder. Guards are trying to catch him but the curtain got slightly damaged already and the table with food got overturned. The floor is sticky and wet. Be careful, please.”

Kobayashi wandered off. Nakata also excused himself wanting to help catching the culprit. Mitsui stayed on her place. It’s not like she didn’t want to help but too much people were already running in circles and being a part of the ruckus wasn’t especially appealing for her. Suddenly one of the lights that was located on the floor next to the entrance to the hall stopped working. She turned to look what caused a breakdown. She only furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion at the sight of someone leaving the lounge in a rush.

  
* * *

  
Jin stopped in his track and looked at the end of the alley. The shriek didn’t repeat but the boy could hear fast steps getting nearer with every second. He took a few steps forward wanting to know what’s going on. Now he could hear not only somebody’s steps but also a slight panting. He was about to walked out from the alley when something crashed into him.

The AT-TUN’s leader was lying on the floor with closed eyes. He could feel a slight pain in his back and butt; for a while he wasn’t sure what had happened. Something was pinning him to the ground. He opened his eyes when he concluded that it wasn’t something but someone. He was surprised seeing a pair of brown eyes staring at him just a few centimeters away from his face. Then he realized it.

He was kissing a man.

Kame was lying on top of the unknown man with his lips locked with stranger’s. It was just a simple lips on lips action; no movements. They both were petrified and couldn’t do anything besides looking in each other’s eyes. Kazuya wasn’t an especially heavy person so Jin barely noticed the boy’s weight on him.

The situation was surely weird and uncomfortable but none of the two boys tried to change their position. It was like a magic spell that glued them together in a way they couldn’t escape. No thoughts crossed their minds at the moment; no one even blinked, just a soft barely noticeable spike of electricity came through their bodies.

A sudden shout of the guard bring Kame back to Earth. The boy immediately stood up and ran away. Jin still slightly dazed sat up and look at the other boy’s back disappearing around the corner at the other end of the alley. The guard chased after him but Akanishi was positive that the strange boy will be able to escape. He stood up slowly and brush off some dirt. Normally he would start pondering about the mysterious event but he remembered about the performance. Not wasting any more time he made his way towards the backdoor. Holding the door opened he looked once again at the place where the boy vanished but quickly shrugged off the weird feeling and went inside.

  
* * *  
  
SUNDAY - MORNING

  
Akanishi woke up at the sound of a breaking vase. He reluctantly put on his night robe bed and came out of his bedroom. If he was still dreaming while getting up from the bed, he was completely awake now. In the middle of his living room stood a masked man. Shocked Jin grabbed the first thing he saw and ran towards the burglar. When he found himself in front of the man he swiped at him with a… sword made of balloon?

The both looked at Jin’s hand stunned but they quickly raised theirs’ eyes and the burglar hit Akanishi with his bag full of expensive objects. The sack was big and heavy so Jin found himself on the floor with a huge headache. Meanwhile, the burglar escaped from the apartment leaving a total mess behind him.

When Jin finally got up from the floor he could see damages done by the unwelcomed guest. The door to his flat was broken, the vase was a history, his favourite guitar lied in bathtub full of water, kitchen and living room looked like tornado underwent there, and his clothes were lying in a huge puddle of orange juice. All the valuable things were gone; the burglar didn’t leave even a single coin.

The shock was so big that Jin had to sit down but when he tried to do it, the chair collapsed under him. Not even trying to grasp what had happened he called for police and a locksmith. They came an hour later. At the end of examining the apartment they didn’t have good information. The door were not only broken but also rotted. The police kicked out Jin from his own property saying that they have to secure a crime scene. Not having anything better to do than leave, he decided to take his most important belongings and go to Yamapi.

  
* * *

  
Kame left his bathroom when he change bandages after this week events. He was glad that his injuries were healing properly but he was kind of dejected by his failure the day before. He wasn’t even able to get near someone important; the guards found out him way too fast.

The boy went to his kitchen and prepared breakfast trying to digest what had gone wrong with his plan. When he was done with making food he sat on his couch and started eating. All of a sudden he stopped his hand halfway through bringing chopstick to his mouth and his eyes got wider.

He remembered about the unexpected kiss.

He brought his hand down. The scene played over and over in his mind. He should feel awkward about the whole situation but he wasn’t. The kiss wasn’t that bad; the strangers lips were a little dry but also soft and nice. He couldn’t tell he hadn’t liked it but he didn’t even consider it as a real kiss. Yeah, they had touched, lips to lips but they were way too startled and shocked to understand a weirdness of the moment.

What brought Kame’s attention more were a pair of brown deep eyes. They were as nice as the stranger’s lips. You could easily see warm feelings and slight roughness in them. They maybe weren’t really amazing and somehow Kame would like to stare in them some more, just to see the emotions going through the man.

Yeah, he certainly liked them.

A phone call woke him up from his dazed state. He quickly put away a bowl with rice and went to his bedroom. The phone was lying on the bed. Kazuya was astonished seeing an unknown number on the display.

“Moshi moshi?... Yes, it’s me. …” His mouth hung open and eyes almost came out of his sockets; he couldn’t believe what the other was saying. “Are you serious? You want to employ me? ... Yes, of course I agree on the interview! ... Yes, I will be there. Thank you so much!”

The boy hung up and sat on the bed still shocked. It took a few minutes for him to understand what had happened and when he did a loud squeal could be heard in the whole building. Kame started bouncing around with a huge smile on his face. It was like a dream came true; someone appreciated his work.

When he finally calmed down he started to think how the man had gotten Kazuya’s lyrics in his hands. It didn’t take long for Kame to guess. He looked around for his backpack; he was right, his bag had a big hole so the lyrics had to fly out of it. The rucksack was really important to him so still thinking about an unexpected call, he sewed it. He smiled at his work but then frowned.

He didn’t injure himself. He wasn’t bleeding.

His smile got wider, it was his first time not landing in the hospital. He was truly happy and couldn’t wait to tell Yue about it. The girl was always by his side and worried about him a lot. Kame knew she will call him stupid for sewing a backpack without thinking but he also knew that she will be happy hearing that he was safe and sound.

  
* * *  
  
SUNDAY - AFTERNOON

  
Jin and Yamapi met up at a cafe near Pi’s flat. After creating NEWS the boy had earned enough money to start leaving on his own. It wasn’t the biggest place but for him it was perfect to start being independent. No more annoying roommates, no more cleaning after someone and no more disturbing sounds coming out from Ryo’s room.

“Hi, Jin. I was surprised getting a call from you so early. Something happened?” Pi asked and ordered coffee when the waiter approached their table.

“Don’t even ask, Pi. Some guy broke into my flat. I had to call the police and they kicked me out. They didn’t want to lose the proof. I just grabbed my things and called you.”

“You had a burglar in your place?! Wow… Is that your guitar?” Yamapi pointed towards a wet piece of wood.

“Yeah. I don’t know how is it even possible but she was in my bathtub. I have to dry her out. My poor girl~...” He said stroking lightly his precious treasure. “Yamapi, would you mind if I stayed at your place until they stop their investigation?”

“Of course you can stay! You’re my best friend!” He answer quickly and drank his coffee.

“Thank you, Pi. You’re a great friend.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You would do the same for me. Now come on! We have to take care of your girlfriend!”

Pi smirked and patted Jin on his shoulder when they stood up. On the way to the apartment Jin told his savior the whole story about the burglar, a balloon sword and a locksmith. For Akanishi it was a serious matter but the other boy was amused by the relation, especially the part when his friend tried to use a balloon as a weapon.

They arrived at the flat a few minutes later. Yamapi let Jin stay in his guest room and showed him around making sure the older boy will be able to find everything he needs. The younger boy left Jin in his bathroom with the guitar. Akanishi carefully put his treasure in a small chair and grabbed a hair dryer from a cabinet situated above the sink. He put the end of the cable in the outlet and turn it on. At first everything was alright but soon the dryer started making weird noises. Jin dropped it to the bathtub the moment he saw smoke coming out. Unfortunately for him the bathtub was full of his clothes that he had put there earlier to wash them.

Putting out the fire took some time but Pi and Jin weren’t able to save the clothes. Yamapi would probably laugh at it if it happened to someone else but it was Jin! He was the luckiest guy on Earth, it was impossible for him to have such a bad luck.

“First the burglar, now my clothes. It’s not the best day of my life.” Jin said and sat dejected on the couch.

“I’m as surprised as you are. It’s not normal.”

“What do you mean? Everyone has worse days.”

“Yeah, everyone but you. Besides, we have worse days but it’s early afternoon and you lost already a flat, your clothes and almost your guitar. I don’t know anyone who would be as unlucky as you at the moment.”

“Then what should I do, Pi? It’s not like I can magically make it disappear.”

“Well… maybe you had some much luck that your bad day is worse than a normal person’s. Let’s just wait and see what will happen. You have to be careful from now on. Don’t go anywhere without me, it’s better if there’s someone who can help you when something goes wrong.” The boy said and Jin nodded in agreement.

  
* * *

  
Kame spent the whole morning cleaning his apartment. After the call he was extremely happy and energetic. His enthusiasm was slowly increasing when he noticed that from the moment he had gotten up to now nothing bad happened; actually, for now everything was going pretty smoothly. Suddenly he heard a doorbell and frantic banging at his door. He was surprised seeing gasping Yue outside.

“Are… you… alright?” The girl asked when she came into a apartment.

“Yes. Why are you panting? Were you running all the way here?”

“Actually… yes. Now…. can you… give me… some water?” She asked and collapsed heavily on the sofa.

“Oh, yeah.” He went to his kitchen to come back with a glass of transparent liquid. “Why were you running?” The girl swallowed a content of the glass in one go before she started talking.

“I was worried… It’s the first time I hadn’t got a call from the police, a hospital or any other public institution. For a while I thought you had died somewhere or something.”

“Haha, no! Everything’s alright. I can’t remember a better day than today.” He said smiling.

“What do you mean?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Well… In the morning Nakata Haruki-san called and invited me for a job interview on Wednesday. Then I started to wonder how he got my songs. I realized that my backpack is torn in one place. He probably found one of my sheets when they flied out from my bag... Anyway I was so happy that I didn’t think about what I was doing and I sewed it on my own. Look, I’m not even bleeding!”

Yue was shocked. Kame had good luck; she couldn’t even remember a day without him stumbling over his own feet! It was a huge revelation for her and she didn’t know how to react. She was quite angry with him for not calling her when he finally got noticed by a famous director but she was also proud of him for being able to do something on his own. There was one more question that came to her mind.

“Kame~... Where Nakata-san could find your lyrics?” She looked at him suspiciously.

“Um… You know… He… um… It’s not important, is it? The main point is that he found it and wants to work with me! I’m so happy!”

He said cheerfully and started jumping around like a little kid that got a piece of candy. Yue couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on her face. Even though there was something wrong with kazuya’s story she decided to dismiss it for now and invite Kame for a congratulatory lunch.

  
* * *  
  
SUNDAY - EVENING

Jin’s bad luck continued for the rest of the day. After the clothes incident he and Pi went shopping. On the way Akanishi got attacked by wild cats, splashed with mud, walked into a glass door and almost got hit by a bus. Thankfully Yamapi was with him all this time and prevented him from getting injured.

Soon, Pi became not only his rescuer but also a person who paid for his livelihood. Jin’s bank account got blocked for an unknown reason and the poor guy couldn’t even buy himself anything decent to wear. Other customers and sellers was staring at him weirdly but he couldn’t complain. He looked like a walking disaster, even Pi had a hard time not glancing at his friend covered in dirt and unidentified substances.

Coming back home wasn’t much better. Jin got paranoia and was virtually glued to the walls so nothing could lash out on him from behind. Yamapi understood him a little but he was slightly embarrassed. People were glaring at them all the time and mothers were pulling their children away from them like they would kidnap them and then sell to rich Arabian sultans or something.

At the end of the day both friends were exhausted and dreamed about a hot relaxing bath with bubbles. Well, Yamapi’s dream came true when jin had to content himself with a cold shower. Somewho their bathtub got plugged when came Jin’s turn to sink into water. The only thing that didn’t end as a catastrophe was coming to bed. Thankfully, the bed didn’t collapsed under jin’s weight and the boy could finally rest.

  
* * *

 

For Kame it was a perfect day. He ate a tasty food and didn’t got food poisoning, bought new clothes that stayed in one piece for a whole day and was able to play with dogs to his heart content without being theirs’ chewing toy. He was really hyper and overly talkative but Yue didn’t try to stop him. The boy worked hard all this time and he needed at least a little happiness in his life; she was truly proud of him.

  
Mitsui was observing her friend closely. As much as she was pleased that Kazuya might have a stable job soon enough, she was quite uneasy about his sudden change of luck. She knew the boy from the inside to outside and something wasn’t right with him. Yes, he still was a cheerful and energetic person. Yes, he still was simple-minded and didn’t see people’s glances around him. She was asking herself why she feels like something different and it finally it occurred to her.

The boy’s aura was different.

She was stunned. For the first time his aura had positive colors, not only grey and brown. She wanted to know the truth behind this weird encounter and to do it, she needed to fortune tell the oblivious Turtle.

“Kame, you don’t mind if I practice my fortune-telling skills on you?”

“No, go ahead! It’s been a long time since you divined my future.”

He said with a smile and put a tray with snacks on the table in his living room. Yue lied out her cards let Kazuya choose one of them. It was exactly like she had thought. The boy became lucky but she wasn’t sure how long his new-found luck will stay. The ‘Wheel of Fortune’ was too unpredictable...

  
* * *

 

Monday and Tuesday were the same as Sunday for the two boys. Kame was unexpectedly lucky and Jin had to cope with unstoppable disasters. Yue was surprised that Jin became a new Kamenashi but she didn’t have time to think about it. She started to get interesting in Jin’s misfortune when the said boy damaged a new microphone in their studio on Wednesday. She wasn’t as talented as her grandmother but after a while she realized that Jin’s aura had changed. It was dark, just like Kame’s before a sudden call…

She had to go see Kazuya. There was something he hadn’t tell her and it was her job to find out what it was. She quickly bid goodbyes to AT-TUN and left the studio. Meanwhile T-TUN were interrogating Jin.

“Man, what’s wrong with you? I’ve never seen you so stressed!” Koki exclaimed.

“I don’t know guys. it’s been like this since Sunday morning. I thought it will disappear but it didn’t!” Akanishi shouted desperately at the guys.

“Calm down, Akanishi-kun. Let’s think what might caused all of this.” Nakamaru tried to help the poor boy.

“Yeah, tell us what were you doing the day before Sunday. Maybe you went to some strange bar and some witch casted a spell on you.” Ueda teased Jin but the later just send him a glare.

“No, I wasn’t at some bar. It was the night of our’s performance. It’s not possible that it caused it all.”

“Then maybe you did something wrong? Or met someone weird?”

“No~, I didn’t! I didn’t do anything wrong and I didn’t met…” He stopped and his eyes widened. “Wait. Now that I think about it, there was a guy that ran into me. Our lips touched but he flied away a second later. The guard was chasing after him.”

“You mean you kissed a guy?!” Of course that was Koki’s first reaction but he quickly got slapped on the head by Ueda.

“That was probably the guy that broke into the building. but how a simple kiss could make such a mess?”

“I don’t know… But if I got my hands on that guy, he’s dead!”

  
* * * 

 

“Kame, tell me what really happened with your backpack.”

Mitsui was standing in front of the boy that sat hunched on his couch. He knew that she won’t go away until he tells her the truth. He was fidgeting uncomfortably on his place while Yue crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows. She was really intimidating.

“Okay, okay! I will tell you! I outsmarted the guard and get inside the place where the Saturday concert was held. The guards found me and chased me away.”

“Are you sure nothing more happened?” She raised an eyebrow thinking that there must be something more to this story.

“Well… I ran into this one guy and we kissed accidentally. But why do you ask?” She slapped her forehead finally understanding what had happened to the both boys.

“It looks like somehow you you bad luck with Akanishi’s good luck. The guy lost his apartment, clothes and got robbed by a burglar.” Kame’s eyes widened.

“Oh, no… What should I do, Yue? I don’t want to be somebody’s else misfortune. He’s not used to my bad luck, he will get killed! Tell me when he lives, quickly! I need to give his luck back to him!” Kazuya panicked but Yue helped him regain his composure.

“Don’t worry, Kame. The guys are at the studio right now. We can go and talked to them.” The boy only nodded and without further thinking they exited the boy’s flat.

  
* * *

 

Jin was pacing back and forth on the studio. The guys were observing him with mixed feelings. They could understand his anger but walking around wouldn’t help him one bit. Finally ueda couldn’t stand the boy and angrily stood in front of him, ready to beat the hell out of him.

“Stop pacing, Akanishi! It’s annoying!” he said through clench teeth.

“I can’t help it! That guy pissed me off. Just wait! When I meet him again he won’t be able to even sit! I will rip him apart and…” His rant was stopped by Yue clearing her throat.

“Jin, you should calm down. You look like one of those wild cats that attacked you the other day.”

“Ha, ha, really funny.” He growled but tried to relax anyway.

“Jin, there’s someone who want to talk to you.”

Yue went away from the door. For a while guys were staring at it not knowing who the secret person might be. Suddenly the door opened and a boy around their age came inside. AT-TUN were quite surprised by his appearance. The big glasses on his nose weren’t the prettiest but when you looked closely you could see elegantly shaped eyebrows, pale soft skin, slightly curvy silhouette and brown shining eyes. The boy was slightly similar to Ueda. In other words he was pretty. Before the boy could say something a loud yell echoed through the room startling everyone and making Kame’s eyes go wide.  
  
“ YOU!!!”


	5. Rules of Survival.

**Chapter 5: Rules of Survival**

  
Kame stood outside the studio trying to prepare himself for the upcoming meeting. Yue was already inside speaking with AT-TUN. Kazuya was really nervous and yells coming from the room made him even more scared and unsure. He wasn’t as shy as in his childhood but meeting a famous guy with whom he exchange his bad luck wasn’t appealing; he wasn’t looking forward to it.

After a minute he got a signal from Yue to come inside. He stepped inside the room anxiously and bowed deeply. When he stood straight again he saw the whole band looking at him weirdly. He could tell that they’re confused by his slightly sudden appearing in the studio.

For a short while they all stood silently. Kazuya’s eyes was scanning the guys slowly to finally look at the man he had met at the alley a few days ago. Akanishi was looking at him intensely. Suddenly his eyes got wide and a frown on his face change into anger.

“YOU!!!”

Jin tried to jump on Kame but Koki and Nakamaru quickly caught him. Kazuya squeaked and before someone could stop him, he ran away in an unknown direction. Akanishi was trying to break from his friends but Yue slapped him painfully in the head.

“Why did you do it?! He’s the fucking one who stole my luck!” Jin roared angrily but Mitsui was equally unhappy with his attitude.

“Shut up! He came here on his own will because he is feeling bad about this mess! If you let him talk at least we would be able to help you came back to normal!”

She screamed. It was quite unusual for her; she was rather collected but this time she really freaked out. Yue pulled out her mobile phone and called the security. She was sure that Kame didn’t exit the building but it was better they close all the back doors and windows - the boy was unpredictable and scared to death by Bakanishi.

“We need to split. He’s probably hiding somewhere. We have to find him and take him to the studio. Bakanishi, it’s better if I won’t hear that you tried to do something to him.” She said and Jin only looked at her with a weird expression on his face.

“Okay, so… who’s going with who?” Ueda asked looking at the others.

“I’m going with Yue-chan!”

Junno reacted first and immediately moved to the girl’s side with a wide grin. Mitsui raised an eyebrow and eyed him warily. The guy was nice and rather easy-going but there was something in him that made her suspicious. She shook off the weird feeling and agreed to go with him to check a lower floor. Jin and Koki decided to go on an upper floor and went towards the staircase. Ueda and Nakamaru started walking along the corridors thinking that maybe the guy just ran around the corner and waited for everyone to go home. A few minutes later they came back to the studio. They looked everywhere for the man, even under old boxes stored in a small dusty room at the end of the hall. Ueda and Maru quickly got bored waiting for the others and not having anything better to do, they started talking.

“Jin-kun really scared that guy. But I wonder why Yue-san got so angry.” Nakamaru started.

“Who knows? They don’t look like lovers to me so he’s probably her friend or something.” Ueda replied examining his nails.

“Hm… It’s possible, though I can hardly believe it. Yue-san is really scary when mad; way more terrifying than Jin is, yet the guy ran away seeing him. If he was Yue-san’s friend, he wouldn’t be that scared.”

“Maybe, it doesn’t matter…” Ueda said but his bored expression was exchange with a mischievous one. ”I’m more surprised that Akanishi got angry at the guy at all. He was way too cute for a man. If Akanishi didn’t tell us that it was a guy that had kissed him, I would believe I’m seeing a girl in front of me.”

“Well… He had a slightly girly face but it’s not nice to call him a girl.” Ueda just rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying he is one. Besides, it’s not the point. The thing is that even though he is a man, he is exactly Akanishi’s type.” Ueda was deep in his thoughts before he spoke again with a smirk. “Hm… maybe I should make a movie about Akanishi? Title: ‘Akanishi Jin and his failures’; plus additional material ‘First kiss with a guy change my life’. I would make a nice cash of it!”

“And who would buy this movie?”

“Pi, of course. Maybe Midget or some other member of NEWS in particular. And if not, there are always crazy fans, aren’t they?”

“Yue-san would kill you if you sold it to the fans. And Yamashita-kun is living with Jin now. I don’t think that he would like to experience it again in the near future; his apartment is already in danger with Jin-kun as a flatmate and seeing what damages he had caused…”

Nakamaru visibly shivered at the mere thought of Jin at his own place. He wasn’t a pedantic person but it didn’t mean that he liked broken vases and having a burnt kitchen. He really pitied Yamapi, the guy really didn’t deserve it.

 

* * *

  
“Seriously! If I catch him, he’s a dead man!” Akanishi was still angry with the boy.

“Can you stop it? I don’t care about what Yue is going to do to you, for me she can even skin you alive. But I won’t let you kill that boy, he didn’t look like a bad guy. I think it was just an accident, you can’t blame him.”

“Of course, I can! He was the one who ran into me, he was the one who kissed me!”

“Ha! So you admit that it WAS a kiss after all?” He teased Jin knowing that the boy will deny his words.

“What? No, I don’t! Our lips just touched, that’s it!”

“But you just said that you kissed.” Koki smirked.

“No, I didn’t.” Bakanishi was really stubborn.

“Yes, you did.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“YES, YOU DID!”

“I DIDN’T!”

“You didn’t.”

“YES, I DID!...” Koki raised an eyebrow and smiled widely. Jin only groaned realizing his mistake. “Whatever... Better look for him and stop playing stupid games!”

“Hai, hai…”

The guys were going along the corridor. On the upper floor were mostly storages for old instruments and offices. One of those belonged to AT-TUN. They didn’t need it much because almost all of their meetings were held in the second floor studio or at the members places. The office was only used when one needed a time for himself to write lyrics or melody, or as a punishment room. When some of the them was misbehaving, Yue would take him to the office and make him suffer. Her tortures included: copying lyrics by hand, segregating papers, cleaning alone the whole studio and the office, being an AD for the guys, and making push-ups. It wasn’t especially painful but pretty exhausting.

When Koki and Jin made her way towards their office, they heard a quiet noise coming from the inside. They stopped and strained their ears. Slowly, they came closer to the door and Jin gripped the door handle. They looked at each other and nodded before the boy opened the door.

 

* * *

  
Junno was walking with a huge smile on his face. The girl was quite wary of him, especially that the boy was pretty close to her and she couldn’t move away from him - the wall next to her prevented any movement. She was glancing at him from time to time trying to digest why Junno wanted to go with her. They rarely talked to each other outside the studio; they had nothing in common. Well, at least she thought they didn’t.

“Yue-chan, why were you angry with Jin-kun? It’s normal that he feels unhappy, maybe you should be more understanding?” Mitsui was so shocked at his statement that she forgot to scold him for using THAT honorific; he caught her of the guard but instead of being mad at him, she seriously thought about the sudden question.

“Well… I can understand that he doesn’t like the situation.”

“Then why?” Junno looked at her curiously.

“Kamenashi Kazuya, the guy that caused Bakanishi’s bad luck is my best friend. Bakanishi can complain about it but the true is that what’s happening to him is just like a single grain of rice. It’s the first time that Kazuya has a little luck and I’ve known him for fourteen years.” The girl didn’t see a small twitch of an eyebrow at the mention of Kazuya’s name.

“Kamenashi-kun is that unlucky?” He asked disbelieving.

“Yeah.” She shrugged her shoulders and peeked into one of the rooms, the boy wasn’t there. “It’s hard to believe but after his birth the nurse had slipped on the floor almost dropping him. At the age of two, he almost had fallen down from a cupboard. The older he was, the worse happened. Now it’s normal for him to be wet, dirty, sore and injured every day.”

“It sounds bad but aren’t you exaggerating?” He was still doubtful; she just groaned tiredly.

“Unfortunately, no, I’m not. The police calls me at least once a week. In one day he can get bitten by a dog, attacked by squirrels or pigeons and taken for a stalker or molester... Well, sometimes he gets molested, that’s why I’m making him wear glasses. It prevents him from being mobbed a little. Actually, you can ask Kame himself, he will tell you almost everything.” Junno’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open.

“Why... ‘almost’?” He wasn’t sure, he wants to know.

“I call him Kame on purpose. He’s quite blind when it comes to people’s affections towards him. He doesn’t know it but during our vacation between second and third grade of high school he had became an eye-candy. He had more stalkers and molesters than you can imagine, he isn’t aware how people look at him. He’s slow like a turtle.”

“Hm… He looks quite nice but I don’t feel anything…” She snorted at Junno’s musing.

“Yeah, because you’re straight AND you haven’t seen him before. He was an awkward kid with a pair of caterpillars instead of eyebrows. If I hadn’t been there at the time I would think he had got himself a plastic surgery.”

Junno couldn’t hide his surprise. The boy seemed interesting and really unlucky. He started to understand why the girl was upset with Jin but he quickly forgot about it and concentrated on more serious questions…

Does she think that some of our friends are gays? Or she just wanted to say that Kamenashi-kun attracts men?...

 

* * *

  
Jin and Koki walked into the room and closed the door. they tried to be as silent as was possible to not startle the boy. Jin came closer to the old wardrobe and peeked inside. Meanwhile Koki walked around the desk to open a closet. he was quite surprised seeing a huge box. He gently lifted a lid up. Strangely, it was empty.

“Why Yue is keeping a huge box in the closet?”

“Why the hell should I know? Maybe she wants to kill us and then send our bodies away so no would know.”

Jin shrugged looking through clothes, searching for any sign of a small body. Koki shivered and paled at Jin’s words but quickly realized that it’s impossible. I shouldn’t watch ‘Saw V’ anymore. The man shook his head to clear it from scary images and closed the closet. He scratched his head and turned around to look at Jin. Akanishi sighed, there was nothing there, the room was empty. He signalized to Koki that they should kept going when the rapper caught something weird in the corner of his eyes.

“Hey, Jin. Who was in the office lastly?”

“...Yue, I guess. Why?”

Koki furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the chair that wasn’t fully slided under the desk. Koki shushed Jin who wanted to say something and made his way towards the chair. He grabbed the backrest and pushed it forward. Not only the chair was stopped half-way but also they heard a short squeak. Koki quickly moved away the piece of furniture. When he bended down he saw a pair of wide eyes looking at him in fright. Koki smiled gently and crouched down. The boy looked like a small animal that was scared of a human.

“Come out, we won’t do anything to you.” He stretched out his hand and the boy slowly shifted closer. Suddenly the boy moved away again looking past Koki. “Akanishi, can you take a few steps back, please? You’re scaring him.” Jin only groaned unsatisfied but decided to listen to Koki.

“You won’t kill me, right?” They heard a shy voice and glanced at the boy who was now a little more visible under the desk.

“...I won’t, okay? Now get out. the rest is waiting.”

Jin said and went towards the door. Kame slowly grabbed Koki’s hand and let himself be pulled up. He assured the man in front of him that he’s alright and neatened his slightly wrinkled clothes.

The boys were going back to the studio. Jin, still annoyed by the situation he had found himself in, was a few meters ahead of Koki and Kame, cursing and muttering under his breath. Kazuya was slightly scared of him; he couldn’t help being cautious around the older boy, especially knowing that it was his fault that the man had so terrible days lately. He dropped his head and crossed his arms trying to seem even smaller than he was.

He started to bit on his lower lip when a soft humming reached his ears. Kazuya was surprised seeing Koki walking next to him since he was too absorbed in blaming himself to realize that he had a company. He furrowed his eyebrows. The melody was really familiar but it was the first time for him to hear this lyrics.

“...Mada mada shiranai kirifuda wa Joker N to Y kakage…”

“I think that I heard it somewhere before…” Kame said quietly but Koki heard him anyway.

“Did you say something?”

“Um… It’s nothing… just that melody. I think I know it.” Koki was surprised.

“It’s our new song, though I added some new lines to the original lyrics. It wasn’t realized yet, I’m supposed to sing it with Nakamaru.”

“Sorry, but... I don’t know your names. I haven’t seen any of you either,” It was even a bigger shock for the young rapper, Kame felt embarrassed with his lack of knowledge about the band.

“...Have you ever heard any of our songs?”

“I might… I’m not sure… But Yue talks about AT-TUN sometimes. She mostly complaints or praises your skills. She doesn’t use your names, more like nicknames. You’re the rapper, right?”

“Yep, I am. None of them can rap like I do.” Koki straightened up and said with pride. “Nakamaru is the guy that is beatboxing in AT-TUN.”

“Oh… could you sing it again?” The rapper only nodded and started singing.

“Mada mada tarinai furuwasero hands up / Orera no flow de ride on night. One on one / Mada mada party night kuruwasero bounce of bounce / Tomaranai kooru wa one on one / Duuragu ni goorudocheen ashimoto wa suniikaa / Buttobi na rhythm de dance all night. One on one / Mada mada shiranai kirifuda wa joker N to Y kakage / Shout wohhh... Shout...”

“It's just a game yakusoku no jikan basho / Nori nigashitara tsukamitoreya shinai / Keisan doori shatei kyori no naka de / Doko made ikeru? Buchiataru made wa…” Koki was really surprised.

“It’s Maru’s part, how do you…?” His eyes was big and he was staring at Kame in suspicion.

“Um… It’s mine, I mean lyrics. I know them because I had written them.”

“Wait, you are K2?!” He yelled and Kazuya jumped up slightly startled.

“Yes, it’s me…” He said warily observing the man’s reaction.

“Dude… your songs are cool! Even rapping parts aren’t bad and I’ve been doing it for a few years now. Yue didn’t want to tell me who’s the author; I wanted to ask you if you don’t mind me adding some lines to it.”

“No problem at all! It sounds much better with your new parts. Thank you, I’m happy that you like it.”

“I’m Tanaka Koki but just call me Koki, everybody does.”

“Kamenashi Kazuya, you can call me Kame.”

Kame smiled, he was more relaxed around the other boy now. Even though the rapper’s appearance at first scared him, Kazuya quickly learned that Koki is a nice man with a big heart. They were walking and talking about Kazuya’s lyrics, the band and other stuff. Kame was especially happy hearing about Koki’s animals and excited when the rapper promised to let Kazuya meet his ‘children’. The almost didn’t realize that they are already in front of the studio. They came inside when the rest was waiting for them. Apparently Akanishi called them and informed about Kame being found.

“Hey, guys. Do you know that Kame is a songwriter? He wrote ‘Butterfly’ and ‘One On One’.” Koki announced and Kazuya blushed when the band looked at him with slight admiration.

“Ueda Tatsuya, I’m going to sing ‘Butterfly’ with Akanishi. It’s an interesting song.”

“Thank you. I’m Kamenashi Kazuya.” The boy bowed while the others introduced themselves.

“Okay, we know each other now. By the way, the guy fuming in the corner is Akanishi Jin, call him Bakanishi if you want...” Yue pointed towards the man.

“Oi!”

“First, what exactly happened?”

“He ran into me, we landed on the ground and our lips met. That’s it!” Jin snapped.

“You mean you kissed, right?” The only answer she got was a groan from Jin.

“If the kiss exchanged your lucks then maybe another one can turn it back?” All eyes turned towards Junno who was passionately playing on his PSP.

“Well… I can’t believe that I’m gonna say that but… he might be right.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Jin looked at Kame at the same time as Kazuya looked at him. It was a crazy idea but there was this small chance that it will work. Kame gulped hard, frightened by Akanishi’s expression. The older boy wasn’t happy with it, rather he was far from it. He was glaring at the smaller boy with anger and frustration. He would never thought that he will have to kiss someone just because of some stupid exchange! It was humiliating!

Not seeing any other choice, Jin quickly grabbed Kame’s head and smacked his lips with the boy’s. Kazuya was shocked with his action, totally unprepared for it. He could feel the force the other boy put in the gesture. It was rough and hard. Jin tried to release all his anger with that kiss not caring if he’s going to hurt the other boy. It wasn’t the same kiss as before. Kame could feel that his lips are swollen and started to bruise but he was too afraid to pull away.

Somehow, at first forced kiss, changed. Jin intended to just touch the other’s lips and close his eyes to not see the boy but after about two seconds, he forgot about his intentions and started moving his lips. He was still mad but couldn’t help himself from kissing Kame harder. The other’s lips were addicting - sweet and yet sour at the same time, just like a forbidden fruit. It was driving him crazy and he didn’t want to let it go but he knew he had to.

Jin pulled away from the stunned boy. He looked at his face and he wasn’t sure about his feelings. He was annoyed with Kame but he also felt himself being drawn towards him. For the first time he looked at Kazuya properly and he couldn’t deny that he liked what he saw. His eyes stayed longer on the boy’s pouty lips. He found them really inviting and wouldn’t mind kissing them again.

“So… now what?” Koki interrupted the silence.

“We have to see if everything is back to normal.” Yue answered after she got back her composure.

“And how are we gonna do it?” Jin asked, finally stopping ogling the poor boy.

“Lottery.” She shrugged her shoulders like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“Lottery?!” AT-TUN shouted together.

“Yeah, lottery, don’t scream.” She came closer to the table and took out two dices from her bag.

“Why do you have dices with you?” Ueda asked.

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m a girl and girls usually have weird stuff in their purses and since I don’t like purses, I have strange items in my bag.” She came closer to Jin and Kame. “Now, rules are simple. You both throw dices, the one who will get six, wins. If one of you gets one… well, you know.”

She passed them dices and moved away. The boys threw their dices. The result was obvious - Jin still was the unlucky one. He slammed on the couch quickly followed by Kame and Yue who knew exactly what might happen if the bad luck decides to make its appearance.

“And what now? It didn’t work. And why are you sitting so close to me?” He asked looking at Kame.

“Trying to save you from further accidents? Trust me, it’s better not to sit down before looking where you are doing it. It’s also better if there’s a second person next to you - it’s safer.”

They all were looking at Kazuya besides Yue. The boy regained his confidence. AT-TUN were surprised seeing that the boy isn’t affected one bit by a kiss though before he couldn’t utter a single word. Mitsui expected it to happen; Kame’s mind moved on from the kiss and concentrated on current situation. It was nothing new for her since the boy was always like that, he just couldn’t care about things that ended.

“Heh, I can’t let you be alone. It would be better if someone who has experience in it was with you. I can’t because of work, there’s still a lot to do. I can eventually try to find something in my grandmother’s stuff. There might be something useful. That leaves Kame.” She looked at the boy.

“What? But I…” Kame frowned.

“I know, Kame, and I’m sorry but it’s the only solution for now. I promise to make it up to you. Please, i can’t let Bakanishi injure himself even more. Someone has to teach him rules.”

“What rules?” Jin asked but they ignored him.

“...Fine, I don’t want to see him hurt himself either.” The boy was slightly sulking but agreed knowing that only he can help in this situation.

“Thank you, Kazuya. I will try to do something with your lyrics. Maybe Nakata-san will postpone your meeting.”

She smiled gently and patted the boy’s shoulder leaving the studio. The rest of AT-TUN also exited the room following Yue, thinking that it’s the best to let the two boys talk alone.

Kame And Jin were sitting next to each other awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The older boy sat there staring in front of him on the wall, analyzing his current situation. He had to spend the whole day with a boy that was the source of his misfortune. Kame wanted to bring the boy back to earth so he poked his arm. A small touch helped and Jin turned around facing him.

“Akanishi-kun, I know that you don’t like me much but it will be good for you to know how to avoid unnecessary problems. I’m sure Yue will find a cure quickly and you won’t see me ever again.” Jin looked at him and sighed heavily after a moment.

“Okay, I get it. What should I do then?”

“First, we will go to my flat. There’s everything you need and it’s a safer place than any other.” Kame stood up followed by discouraged Jin.

 

* * *

  
A trip to Kazuya’s flat wasn’t the easiest. Even though Kame had Jin’s luck now, they couldn’t fully keep troubles away of them. Jin almost fell down the stairs but Kame managed to pull him back on time. When they were going through the park a dog decided that Jin might be a good hydrant and peed on his pants.

Next to Kame’s apartment was a small cafe. Some customers were sitting outside enjoying their desserts when a pigeon flew just above their heads. Not only the bird collided with Akanishi’s face but also surprised customers by accident started to flail their arms. Ice-cream’s flew out of cones and landed directly on the boy’s boots.

When both boys finally stepped into the flat, Jin immediately sat on the couch and Kame went to his kitchen to bring them some refreshing water. Kazuya handed Jin his glass and sat in the chair sipping from his cup.

“Okay, wait a minute. I’m going to clean your shoes and then we will start.”

“Thanks.”

Jin nodded and Kazuya disappeared in the bathroom. While the younger boy was taking care of his boots, Akanishi made a tour around the apartment. It was quite tidy except for pieces of paper that were scattered around in weird places like, for example, on the lamp or in the fridge. He came back to the living room and grabbed one of the sheets. He was impressed, the boy was quite good in writing lyrics. He put the paper down when Kazuya was back in the room.

“Your boots are drying in the bathroom. Let’s start then.” He sat in the chair. “There’s some rules that you need to keep strictly to. Rule number one: stairs are safer than elevators.”

“What?! But I almost fell down earlier! How can stairs be better?” Jin asked disbelieving.

“Because when you fall the stairs you have a bigger chance survive… Or rather there’re less things that can kill you.”

“And how’s that possible?” Jin snorted.

“First, elevator can fall down. Second, you can get stuck there for a few days without food and/or water. Third, you can died from the lack of air. Any more questions?” Akanishi was pale like a wall in a hospital and shook his head in fear.

“No, I don’t have any questions.”

“Good. Now, rule number two: always believe in superstitions.”

“Superstitions?”

“Yeah. If you see a ladder, never go under it. If there’s a black cat in front of you, go other way. Never be alone with a mirror.”

“What do you mean by being ‘alone’ with a mirror?” Jin asked quite surprised.

“Well, take someone with you. If you are with someone in the same room with a mirror, it’s less probable to break it.”

“But.. what with our dance moves practise? There’re mirrors everywhere!”

“I’m sorry, Akanishi-kun but I think it’s better if you won’t be in that room. It’s too dangerous.” Kame smiled apologetically knowing perfectly well how hard it is to live with such bad luck. “Rule number three: never open your umbrella in the building.”

“I heard about that one but what can it do?”

“Hm… for example, the wind will be so wild that it will tear away your umbrella. Also rain will be more dangerous. There’s also a possibility that you will be a target for a lightning. I got hit twice so far though I consider myself lucky that it only ended with a few scratches and a week in a hospital...”

“Okay, fine. Can you tell me what else had happened to you in the past?”

“From life threatening things?” Jin nodded, half scared what Kazuya will tell him. ”Hm… I had fallen down from the roof - four times, I had gotten myself in the middle of a war between Yakuza twice, I had almost sunk, three times, I had a car accident once and once I was hit by a truck, I had gotten stuck in a building that had tumbled down because of an earthquake. There also had been a flood - five times, I guess, and three fires, two tsunami, four biting by a snake, once I had ran into a beehive - bees hadn’t been really happy with having their home destroyed…”

“...How old are you, again?” Jin asked in a high voice, quite shocked with what the boy told him.

“I’m 21. Why?” Kazuya said obliviously blinking at the, in his opinion, weird question while Jin’s jaw met the floor. “Are you okay? Yoohoo~ is there someone?”

Kame waved in front of Jin’s eyes with his hand but didn’t get any response. Akanishi was just staring at him with wide eyes, he didn’t even blink. The smaller boy poked him in the arm and then shake his shoulder. The older man was still petrified trying to understand how the heck the boy was able to survive all this unusual ‘events’.

Kazuya tilted his head to the right, pouted and furrowed his eyebrows thinking. Not seeing any other choice, he sent a message to Yue. The response came immediately making him jump in surprise though the reply was even more incredible. Kame eyebrows were raised high but he just shrugged and decided to follow his best friend’s advice - he poked Jin’s collarbones. The boy finally reacted but also made a really girly shriek that made Kame smile widely while Akanishi glared at him.

“Good, you’re back! Now, rule number four: don’t bend even if you see 10.000 yen lying under your feet. You might be sure, your trouser won’t stay in one piece. Rule number five:...”

Jin spend two and a half hours listening to Kazuya and ‘The Rules’. There was quite a lot to remember and he dozed off a few times during Kame’s speech. When he was focusing more on Kazuya he found himself eyeing his lips. The words were coming through one ear and leaving through the other one. He felt like a high school student again where there was only one thing worth paying attention to was his teacher’s long legs, except that this time he’s teacher was two years younger and a boy to that.

He couldn’t help himself, it was stronger than him. Those pink lips were really magnetizing. Jin wondered how it would be like to taste them again. He was quite startled by his thoughts at first but then he decided that it’s not so bad. He hadn’t been with anyone for some time and the boy was pretty, he couldn’t deny it. He focused on the lips that were moving animatedly trying to imagine them moving against his own. He stopped his daydreaming when he heard that the speech was going to the end.

“...And the last rule, the most important one: when it’s 13th and Friday, never and I mean never be alone and outside of your flat. That day you will be like a magnet for bad happenings. Well, do you understand everything?” Jin nodded. “Perfect. Now it’s time for practise.” Kazuya smiled happily.

“Practise? What am I supposed to practise? Landing at the foot of the stairs without having to go to hospital?”

“No silly! Why are you insisting on those stairs? Anyway, you have to know how to make use of ‘The Rules’. It’s the best to go to the park and check if you are able to go somewhere on your own.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Let’s go then!”

Kazuya was quite happy. Of course he was a little sad that the older boy must experience what he himself had felt all his life, but it was nice to go with someone outside without fear that a dog will bite him. Kame was bouncing happily with Akanishi shuffling along. They entered the park and sat on the bench a few meters away from the pond. When Jin asked we he should do, Kazuya only said that they should just wait - troubles will find him themselves.

Kame stretched himself enjoying a sunny weather. It was nice to relax in the park, just sitting there and admiring the beauty of the place. Flowers were blooming and leaves of the trees had nice shade of green. It was perfect: amazing trees around, colorful butterflies drinking sweet nectar, cute animals in the pond and a handsome guy next to him...

The boy frowned. He didn’t realize it before but he kind of thought about teaching Jin as of a date. He’s never been on one but taking advantage of the situation wasn’t nice and he quickly switched off his thoughts. It was better to focus on Akanishi’s bad luck. Kazuya looked at the other boy and found him glancing at the puppy that suddenly appeared next to the nearby tree. To Kame’s surprise, Jin stood up and started making his way towards the animal.

“Akanishi-kun, what are you doing?”

“Hm? I want to feed a dog, it’s so small. I bet it’s hungry, look like it’s sniffing a garbage can.”

“But… but… Akanishi-kun! Rule number fifteen! Do you remember? Never feed any ani…”

Unfortunately, Kame wasn’t able to finish his sentence. A loud yell echoed in the whole park when the puppy bit Jin’s hand. The boy moved away from it but stumbled over a root and landed in the pond with a big splash. Kazuya quickly grabbed the man by the arm and helped him get out of water. Once outside, the younger boy examined Akanishi’s palm. He sighed, thankful that the puppy was still small and his fangs weren’t much of a danger yet. He could see only a few tiny marks, the dog barely grazed the skin.

“Does it hurt?” The boy asked pressing a finger to Jin’s hand.

“Itai! Yes, it does! Could you please don’t touch it?”

“Sorry.” Kame quickly let go and Jin started massaging his palm. “Come here. We have to disinfect it.”

“You’re carrying a kit with you?” The man asked when the boy took out a first aid kit from his old backpack.

“Of course, I have it with me. I can’t go back and fro to my flat or hospital every time something happens to me. With it, I can go wherever I want to. Also Yue-chan is less worried about me.”

“Oh… What’s your relationship with Yue?” Jin was as surprised with his question as Kame. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to know but he was too curious to care at the moment.

“She’s my best friend. We know each other for years. She’s the only person aside from my family who’s willing to talk to me. She’s never really cared about my misfortune. She helps me a lot, especially when someone has to come for me to a police station. She’s great.”

Kazuya said with a tender smile. Jin felt a small pang in his chest but dismissed it almost immediately. He also stayed quiet at the mention of police, something told him that it’s better not to know more about the issue.

When Kame packed the kit to his bag, the boys decided to go to Yamapi’s flat. Jin had enough for the day even though there were still a few hours left till midnight. The way to the flat, like always, was hard. Akanishi had a not nice pleasure to step into a dog’s poop that some irresponsible owner left on the pavement. His shoes surely won’t useful for long, he was he will have to throw them out in a few days.

A few minutes later, the man got slapped. They were in the subway. It was one of the rush hours so every single space was occupied. Unfortunately, near Jin stood an older salary man who enjoyed grabbing girls’ backsides. A typical pervert. Jin was turned towards the door with Kazuya in front of him but his hand was casually dangling next to him. When the pervert touched the girl’s butt, she quickly turned around to only see Jin’s hand. When the subway stopped and Kame and Jin wanted to get out, the girl tapped Akanishi’s shoulder. When the man turned around a hand met his cheek painfully. He couldn’t believe and froze in the spot but Kazuya quickly pulled him out before the door closed again.

Finally they arrived at the flat and Jin could change his clothes. Meanwhile Kame sat at the kitchen table and wrote down all the rules knowing that the older man doesn’t remember any of them. When the man came back in a fresh t-shirt and jeans, he sat down on the opposite end of the table. He jumped up when something sharp poked him in the butt. It was a small plastic rectangular box with pointing angles. He put it on the surface and sat sighing heavily.

“I have enough~…” He whined and put his chin on his crossed arms lying on the piece of furniture. “Do you get slapped too?”

“Sometimes... A week ago a woman had thought I’m a stalker so she kicked me, you know, down there, and threw me in the pond. She was a martial arts master.”

“It had to hurt.”

“I got used to it.” Kame shrugged and showed the man a piece of paper. “It’s a list with ‘The Rules’. You should try to learn at least some of them. I better go home now.” He handed it to Jin and stood up.

“Thanks and… sorry for wanting to kill you this morning.” Jin scratched his neck awkwardly.

“It’s nothing, I would be angry too if something like this happened to me.”

“Yeah… sorry anyway.” Akanishi stood there watching Kame putting his shoes on. The boy turned to him and stretched out his hands.

“Here. Take my backpack. I don’t need it right now and it can help you in bad situations.” He was smiling gently while Jin was eyeing an old bag; he took it slowly.

“Thank you.” Kame shook his head.

“Don’t thank me, it’s my fault after all. If you have any question call Yue or me. I wrote my number on the back of the list. So, bye.”

The boy smiled and quickly left the apartment before Jin could say anything. The man stood there for a few seconds looking at the boy’s back. He slowly closed the door and made his way towards his temporary room. He put the backpack next to his bed and lied down on the soft mattress with an arm under his head. He took the list and looked at it. Not matter how this day was exhausting and unpleasant, Jin found some pluses in it. One, he got Kazuya’s number and two, he was able to taste a pair of quite nice lips. The situation in the subway also gave him one more enjoyable sensation.

Kame’s vanilla scent.

 

* * *

  
The next went by quickly full of another bad event’s for Jin and some good one’s for Kazuya. Everyone was busy that day, preparing for a new single or just simply practising dancing or singing in the studio. Jin was quite surprised when Yue called him in the evening even though her schedule was fully packed. What she had told him made his eyes wide and he didn’t wait even a second before he rushed to the studio. Once he get there, he saw Yue sitting in her chair in the office and Kame standing next to the desk panting heavily.

“Guy, I think I know where we can find a solution to our little problem.” She said looking at her computer’s screen.

“...And?” Jin asked impatiently.

“Calm down. First, take this.” She gave him a small pendant. “It will stop the bad luck for a day or two.”

“And after two days you will make me a new one?”

“Unfortunately, this pendant only works once. I’m sorry.” She apologized.

“But you said that you found a cure. It’s not the pendant, right?” Kazuya asked.

“No. Also I don’t know a cure.” The boy’s faces fell. “But I know when we can find it. The problem is that I can’t leave my job.”

“That’s okay, we will go.”

“We?” Jin asked astonished.

“Yes, we. You’re the one who wants to go back to normal, ne?” Kazuya asked and turn his head towards Yue. “What do we have to do?”

“Well… you see… there’s this old book my grandmother had. It’s about magic spells and stuff like that. I know it’s in my house but someone needs to go and find it.”

“It’s not a problem. We will look for it, ne? Akanishi-kun?” Kame said with a smile and Jin nodded happy that soon he might be able to go back to his normal life.

“Kazuya… the problem’s that… by my house I meant not the one in Tokyo.” They both looked at her surprised but Kame’s eyes quickly widened.

“You mean…?”

“Yes, Kazuya. I’m talking about my uncle’s house in our hometown.”


	6. Hometown.

**Chapter** **6** **:** **Hometown**

  
It was still quite early in the morning when Kazuya and Jin arrived in Kame’s hometown. Even though at first the younger boy was shocked by the sudden trip, he was really overjoyed by the perspective of visiting his family. He hadn’t seen them for more than a year and he couldn’t wait to talk to them. Jin wasn’t as happy as Kazuya was. He was sleepy and tired but he appreciated the necklace that Yue had given him; he was able to finally rest peacefully.  
  
It didn’t take them long to find the house. Kame smiled widely and started bouncing towards it, Jin following close behind him slightly smiling at the boy’s obvious happiness. The boy stopped in front of the door and rang a bell while Jin, didn’t know why, was nervously fidgeting next to him. A few seconds passed and the door opened revealing a middle aged woman.  
  
“Hey mom, long time no see.” Kazuya smiled and the woman blinked confused but soon started to squeal happily and embraced her third son in a breathtaking hug.  
  
“Kazuya! What are you doing here? And who’s your friend?” She asked when she finally released her child.  
  
“Um, it’s a little complicated. Can we come in?”  
  
“Oh! Of course, of course!”  
  
The woman let them in. When they put down their suitcases, Kame’s mom took them to the kitchen. She was walking around, preparing fresh coffee and set out a plate full of cookies and sweets. Kazuya in a blink of an eye was stuffing his mouth with treats. Jin looked at him weirdly while the boy just looked innocently at him. When his cheeks were almost full his mom noticed her son’s behaviour in front of the guest and scolded him lightly slapping the back of his head.  
  
“Kazuya! Behave, you should ask first if mister…” The woman looked at the older boy.  
  
“Akanishi Jin.” The man bowed tensely, slightly uncomfortable in an unknown environment.  
  
“Yes, of course. You should ask Akanishi-san if he wants some.” The boy pouted while Jin declined kindly.  
  
“But I’m hungry~” Kazuya whined after he swallowed. “I couldn’t eat breakfast. Yue-chan kicked me out of bed at five in the morning.”  
  
“Hm, it is early but you shouldn’t jump on food anyway. It’s rude.”  
  
“Sorry, mom.” Jin chuckled quietly observing the scene in front of him.  
  
“Forgive my son, he got quite spoiled over the years.”  
  
“Oh, no Kamenashi-san, I don’t mind.” He smiled at the woman, she was really nice.  
  
“Now… Tell me what brings you home after a year of not even calling us.” She asked and Kazuya was a little flustered by the question. It was true, he had never called; it was his parents who called him.  
  
“Sorry for that mom, I was busy looking for a job.”  
  
“Did you find one?” She sipped on her coffee.  
  
“Not exactly… But I’m working on it. I’ve got an interview but had to postpone it.” He scratched his neck sheepishly. “Anyway, it’s not why I’m here, though it’s connected.” He played with his fingers looking away from his mother’s eyes.  
  
“Kamenashi Kazuya, what did you do?” She narrowed her eyes dangerously glaring at the boy. Kazuya sighed and he became serious; Jin was surprised that Kame can change his mood in a mere second.  
  
“About a week ago Akanishi-kun and I crashed into each other by pure accident. After that something weird happened – we exchanged our lucks. I wanted to apologize to him for giving him my misfortune so two days ago I went to the music studio. We discovered that the crash did it but we didn’t know how to reverse it. We tried to repeat the situation from before. It didn’t work. Then Yue-chan said that her grandma’s old book can help us but it’s in her house. That’s why we came here. I hope we can stay here for the time being?” Jin and Kazuya both bowed in respect. She looked at her boy in deep concentration.  
  
“…Yes, of course. But I have one question… how a simple crash created this mess?” Jin was hoping that Kame will come up with some good excuse because he wasn’t sure the boy’s mother would be happy with her son kissing another guy, more than once on top of that. Unfortunately, Kame proved that he’s obviously bold, in a very innocent way, when it comes to intimate things.  
  
“When I crashed into Akanishi-san we kissed. We kissed again later to see if we can cure ourselves but it was a failure.”  
  
Kame just shrugged his shoulders staring at his parent and Jin looked at him with wide eyes. When he heard a soft clang of a cup being put down, he slowly turned his eyes to look at the woman. Her head was hanging down and she had her face hidden by the black hair. Jin gulped hard and waited for any sign of anger. Kazuya didn’t care much, just took another cookie from the plate and soaked it happily in his coffee.  
  
The heavy silence stayed for a few more seconds before the woman lifted her head and sighed. She looked at Jin and smiled mysteriously but not evilly. She looked more like she was… relieved. Akanishi couldn’t really grasp what the younger’s mother was thinking about the whole ‘kissing’ problem but it didn’t seem to him that he will be skinned alive in the near future.  
  
“Okay. I will give you another futon to your room Kazuya.” She said and stood up going upstairs.  
  
“Thanks, mom. Come on, Akanishi-kun, we will leave our things in the bedroom and go to uncle’s house.”  
  
Kame quickly took the last candy and popped it in his mouth before following his mother, bouncing lightly. Jin didn’t even have time to ask who this ‘uncle’ Kame was talking about is. Not having a choice, he grabbed his luggage and went after the slightly hyperactive boy. He wasn’t sure if he ever saw someone who got high so quickly from too much sugar in his blood.  
  
The bedroom wasn’t especially big but there was enough space to accommodate both of them without worrying about kicking each other while sleeping. Kame threw his bag on the futon and made his way towards the bathroom. Jin used the time to look around the room. On one shelf he spotted a frame with a photo of Kame’s family. He was surprised seeing Kazuya, his mom, a man that supposedly was his dad and three other boys that, even though that they were slightly taller and bigger than Kame, were almost identical.  
  
“That’s my father and brothers. It might be hard to believe but the one on my right is my four years younger brother, Yuya. The two on my left are two and four years older than me; Koji and Yuichiro” Kame stood next to Jin in an instance pointing at the people in the picture. The older man nodded and put the frame down turning towards the boy that was already rummaging through his bag.  
  
“Can you tell me who’s that ‘uncle’ you mentioned downstairs? I thought we came here to look for that freaking spell book.”  
  
“Huh? Oh, I meant Yue’s uncle. I’ve known him for as long as I know Yue so I started calling him uncle as well. We need to go to his house, Yue had lived there since she had moved here.”  
  
“Hm, won’t he mind us ‘raiding’ his place?” Jin was quite skeptical; after all nobody likes when someone makes a mess on his premises.  
  
“Don’t worry, Akanishi-kun. He’s a really cool man. Also Yue-chan called him yesterday, he knows we’re coming.” Kazuya smiled at him and they both left the room.  
  
“Can you call me Jin? I feel weird when you talk to me by my surname.”  
  
“Yeah, sure. No problem! Call me Kame then, ne?”  
  
Somehow, Jin liked how Kazuya’s face lit up at the thought of a more familiar way of addressing the other. He couldn’t deny that the boy was interesting and he stopped minding that he was a source of their troubles. Also, he started to understand why the strictest and the coldest girl he had ever met had a soft spot for Kame – the boy was energetic and positive. Jin admired how Kazuya always seems not to care about his own problems in favour of helping other people; he was honest.  
  
A few minutes later they were standing in uncle’s living room. The older man was nice and, just like Kame said, didn’t mind them being in his house. Actually, he was quite glad seeing Kame safe and sound. Well, he knew the boy’s life was hard.  
  
“Sorry for such a sudden call, uncle.” Kazuya apologized smiling.  
  
“No problem, Kame-chan. It’s good that you’re not in a hospital for once. Somehow this boy was able to end up with a broken leg every time I had seen him, haha!” The man laughed and ruffled the younger boy’s hair.  
  
“Uncle!” Kazuya pouted trying to stop the man who only laughed harder.  
  
“Anyway, you and Akanishi-kun can checked Yue’s room and the attic. I don’t think the book can be anywhere else. Only Yue was taking my mother’s stuff. It will probably take you a while, I will call you for dinner later.” He patted Kazuya’s arm and the boy nodded. When the man was passing by the bookcase not so far away from the kitchen door, he stopped and turned again towards the boys. “Oh, I almost forgot. Karen and the boys are somewhere around, don’t be surprised if you meet them.”  
  
“Okay, thanks uncle.”  
  
The man disappeared in the doorframe and Kame with Jin made their way towards Yue’s room. When Kazuya opened the door, Jin stopped dead in his track. The room was a mess! It was like a tornado, an earthquake and a flood went through it at the same time. What shocked Akanishi even more was Kame that wasn’t affected by the view even one bit.  
  
The younger boy just looked around, sighed heavily and started sorting papers that were lying practically everywhere. Seeing that Jin can’t get over how dirty a girl’s room can be, he forcefully pushed the man towards a desk and ordered him to arrange the documents on it. Jin was not fully conscious when sorting the sheets. It took almost 10 minutes of automatic work for Jin to finally grasp the impossibility of their task.  
  
“It’s… this room is a GARBAGE CAN!!!” He screamed.  
  
“Heh… don’t yell. We don’t have a choice. I wish Yue could have come with us. It’s quite funny but she always knew where things are in her room.”  
  
“You mean that she was always this messy?”  
  
“Yeah. Actually, when I was in her Tokyo apartment for the first time, I couldn’t believe how tidy it is.” Kazuya said bringing out a weirdly looking stick from one of the huge piles of unidentified stuff. “It will take a whole day to clean the room so better be prepared mentally.” He added and smiled comfortingly at Jin.  
  
“…Fine.” Akanishi sighed and started picking up items lying next to his feet. ”…By the way, who are these people the uncle told us about?” The younger man looked up from the pile.  
  
“Oh, they’re Yue’s siblings. Yue-chan is a second child. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to meet Yukari-san, she lives overseas. She’s 23.”  
  
“Just like me.”  
  
“Really? Cool. Yue has also one younger sister, Karen-chan. She’s 19. Then there are Ryota-kun, Kaoru-kun and Takahiro-kun. Respectively, 20, 17 and 15 years old. Ryota-kun and Kaoru-kun are rather nice but they’re troublemakers.” Kame smiled remembering all the pranks the two boys had made to other people.  
  
“And what about Karen-chan and Takahiro-kun?”  
  
“Um… We didn’t get along much, I guess... Yue doesn’t like her younger sister. Karen-chan and Taka-kun were both growing up in Los Angeles. They’re slightly different from other Japanese kids.”  
  
Kazuya winced slightly. Takahiro was more like an American kid but they talked rather normally but Karen… She was a princess dreaming about a handsome prince in shining armor. Her personality was also the one of a wealthy, self-important chick. Kazuya couldn’t really forget how she was treating him when they were younger. Thankfully, Yue’s mother took her back to United States when Kame and Yue were in their second year of high school.  
  
The boys went back to their job. Jin had the impression that the mess was getting bigger with every passing minute. About two hours later of constant cleaning, they were finally able to see at least a small piece of the carpet. Kame was surprised to see that it’s actually blue and not, like he had thought through the years, black. Kame made his way towards Yue’s wardrobe. He knew what might be waiting for him inside but there was no other choice but to open it anyway. He just lightly pressed the handle and hundreds of clothes and other objects fell on him. Akanishi quickly came to help the boy who yelled surprised at the sudden ‘attack’.  
  
Jin tried to get Kame out from the dangerous zone but it was pretty hard to find him under different boxes, books, magazines, t-shirts and stuffed toys. The last one really confused Jin; he wouldn’t think that the scary girl had so many cute plushies. Fortunately, Kame’s yell was also heard by one of residents of the house. A boy opened the door and looked at Jin who had found Kazuya’s hand and was trying to pull him out. The boy came inside, started digging in the pile and grabbed the other hand. Together they were able to free the songwriter.  
  
“Thank you. I tried to make her get rid of some stuff but in the end it always ended in this place. ”Kame said still lying on the floor and pointing towards an opened wardrobe. When he caught a breath, he looked at his right to see the boy that helped him together with Akanishi. “Ah, Ryota-kun! How are you? I haven’t seen you for a whole year!” Kame stood up with a smile and brushed off the dirt.  
  
“Everything’s good. Nothing changed that much.” He looked at Kame from head to toe and added. “Kazuya-nii-san hasn’t changed at all too, I see. Still getting in troubles easily.” Kame laughed at that and smiled widely.  
  
“Jin, it’s Mitsui Ryota. Ryota-kun, Akanishi Jin, the leader of AT-TUN.” He introduced the two boys.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Akanishi-san.” The teenager shook hands with Jin before turning again to Kame. “Kazuya-nii-san, what are you doing in here?”  
  
“You said it yourself, I’m getting in troubles way too easily. We need to find your grandma’s old book.”  
  
“Grandma’s spell book?” The boy raised an eyebrow. ”What for?”  
  
“Kame gave me his misfortune by mistake. We search for a way to turn it back.” Jin explained quickly before Kazuya could tell everyone around the story about the kiss.  
  
“Oh… I will help you then.”  
  
“Really? Thank you, Ryota-chan. Okay, start with this pile and I’m going to bring some plastic bags and wet rags.”  
  
Kame somehow exited the room and the two boys started to clear the mess left after the previous incident. The atmosphere wasn’t tense but Ryota and Jin were both tired just from looking at the mass of clothes.  
  
“Are you sure you have time to help us?” The boy just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“Yeah. I have nothing better to do anyway. Also there might be something good in here, Yue-nee likes to stash strange but interesting objects in her room. Once she had a golf club signed by some famous sportsman, hidden in an old plastic tube. We still don’t know where she had found it.” He said and grabbed an old box shaking it lightly to see if there’s something inside it. “Besides, I like Kazuya-nii-san. He’s a great guy when you know him better; he’s really cheerful despite his bad luck. Thinking of him is like thinking about how much worse my life could be. It’s reassuring.”  
  
He gave Jin a lopsided smile. Akanishi didn’t like that smile and even more despised the boy’s sparkling eyes. A pang of jealousy told him that he should be wary of the younger. Annoyed by the mischievous smirk, Jin thought it would be good to make the cleaning harder for the other. He started throwing magazines that he already read in Ryota’s direction, making the dust float in the room. He didn’t predict that it will make both of them sneeze and cough.  
  
“Dude, stop doing it! What’s wrong with you?” The boy asked angrily closing his eyes to prevent them from getting teary.  
  
“I wanted to ask you the same question.” Jin answered, finally being able to see the other that was looking at him weirdly.  
  
“What do you mean?” He asked furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.  
  
“You said you like Kazuya but yet you like when he’s hurt and in pain? What the hell?!” Jin screamed. Thankfully the door at the bottom of the stairs was closed and nobody heard his outburst.  
  
“Huh? I never said that I like to see him in pain! I just said that his smiles, laughs and friendly personality make people feel better…” the boy exclaimed but it only made Jin’s mood worse.  
  
“Oh? So you think that he’s too trusting, huh?! You want to have him only for yourself, right?! Admit it! You like him as something more than just a mere friend!”  
  
“Wow, wow! Dude! Slow down, will you?” The boy tried to calm the man down. “Relax. Kazuya-nii-san is like an older brother to me. Nothing else. Okay? He never gets angry at me and Kaoru and doesn’t mind being pranked. Actually, our pranks mostly come back to us since Kazuya-nii-san’s bad luck works on us too at times. Also thanks to him Yue-nee-chan started to talk and spend time with us.” The boy smiled half-sadly.  
  
“What?” Now Jin was confused.  
  
“You see…” Ryota sat on one of the boxes that were still waiting for unpacking. “Yue-nee was distancing herself from us for a long time. She was never home, always with Kazuya-nii-san. I hated him, Kaoru too. We thought she’s really cool. She was strong and independent, and she was always protecting Kazuya-nii-san. We were jealous that she spends all her time with him and not with us, her family. Everything changed when Kazuya-nii-san scolded Yue-nee for it. We all talked and got closer over the time. I admire him for being able to go against our sister, she’s really scary.” He explained shivering lightly at the thought of Yue on her bad days.  
  
“Oh, yeah, Yue can really be a source of your nightmares at times… Sorry then. I don’t know what came into me, haha...” Jin said sheepishly scratching the back of his head and neck. He was slightly abashed by his mistake but quickly became aware of Ryota’s playful smirk.  
  
“I think I know what made you so…” He made a short pause trying to see Akanishi’s puzzled face. ”... jealous.” His smirk grew wider.  
  
“What? I’m not jealous. Why should I be jealous? It’s not like I know Kazuya for long. We’ve met just three days ago.” Jin tried to justify his strange behaviour but with a paltry result, the boy knew better.  
  
“Just admit it, Akanishi-kun. You like Kazuya-nii-san. And I mean _like_ like him. That’s why you came here with him.” Ryota came closer. He could see Jin swallowing hard, looking at him with huge eyes.  
  
“I don’t… I can’t, we don’t know each other. I’m here because I want my luck back. Nothing more.” Jin shook his head, trying to convince the other. The problem was that he felt like these words were meant more for him than for Yue’s brother.  
  
“Whatever you say, Akanishi-kun but I know better~” The boy sang and ignored the man’s pitiful attempts to change his mind.  
  
A few minutes later, Kame came back to the room. The work became faster and another two hours later they were able to see a pattern on the carpet - medium sized barely visible black flowers, colorful small squares or spots and thin white, grey and black short lines. It was a nice rug. Kazuya had to agree that it’s Yue’s style even though at first it didn’t seem so; the girl loved dark colored clothes and mysterious places.  
  
At the end of Kame’s and Jin’s fifth hour spent on cleaning, the toxic room changed and into a lovable place to live in. They didn’t find the book but they were proud of their work. Ryota was sure that his older sister would become speechless at the sight of her bedroom. It was like a miracle; an unknown world appeared in front of their eyes.  
  
When Kazuya put the last book on the shelf, the uncle came to call them for dinner. It was funny to see his eyes getting wide and mouth hanging open. Ryota and Kame took the man by his arms and helped him go downstairs, while Jin closed the door. He promised himself to never step inside this hellish room ever again.  
  
When Akanishi made his way to the dining room he saw that Kame and Ryota were already sitting next to each other and chatting happily. It made him jealous again how the two boys seem to be close, even though Ryota said that they were just good friends thanks to bringing Yue closer to her family. He quite loudly took a place next to Kazuya. The boy looked at him puzzled but shrugged it off; anyone would be grumpy after cleaning somebody else’s mess.  
  
The uncle brought the food a few minutes later with four other people tagging along behind him. One of them was an older woman, Yue’s aunt from her mother’s side. Kame explained to him that the uncle and the aunt aren’t married. They were best friends since junior high and since they’re both singles, they decided to live together. It also came in useful when taking care of all of the kids that their siblings ‘produced’.  
  
Next, there were two boys, Kaoru and Takahiro. While Kaoru was rather a positive yet a polite boy who made a perfect comedy duo with Ryota, Takahiro seemed to be suspicious. He was eyeing Jin warily. He didn’t speak much and anyone could see that he would rather be somewhere else than spend time with his family.  
  
The last one was a girl just a few years younger than Jin. He assumed that it must be Karen. Akanishi raised his eyebrow when the girl stopped suddenly after seeing him and Kame. Her eyes widened even more when she heard who their guests were. What he couldn’t understand was that she was surprised not only at the mention of him as a leader of a popular, and apparently known by her, band but also by the sight of Kazuya sitting next to him.  
  
Kame on the other hand ignored Karen’s reaction in favour of mouthwatering food. The whole family with two additional boys started munching on rice and vegetables which delicious smell was hovering in the air in the dining room. It was hard to not just jump on the dishes; for Kazuya it was hard not to behave like a squirrel and stuff his cheeks with tasty pieces of chicken.  
  
“Kamenashi-kun, how’s Yue? She rarely calls home these days.” The aunt started the conversation but Kame was currently unable to utter a single word; the piece of carrot was sticking out in the corner of his mouth.  
  
“Um, she’s great. She does a great job as AT-TUN’s manager. Thanks to her and Kamenashi-kun we’re going to release a new single next week.”  
  
“Oh, really? That’s good. I hope you don’t stress her too much, haha.” The woman laughed whole-heartedly and Jin smiled. Unfortunately he didn’t realize that Kame stopped chewing and already swallowed the carrot.  
  
“Well… with this whole mess in exchanging lucks she doesn’t have much time for herself. But don’t worry auntie, I will make sure that she rests properly.”  
  
The boy smiled reassuringly. Jin was afraid that Kame will start talking about the kiss again but it didn’t happen. Kazuya really could think only about one thing at the time and what was on his plate was more important than some stupid incident. In some way Jin felt annoyed that the younger boy prefers eating over kissing but it was better to stop complaining before something goes wrong.  
  
After dinner Kame decided that it will be good to take a short break and renew their energy. Of course, for Kame, it meant to go seek for sweets. The whole way to the Kawasaki’s famous bakery, Kazuya was telling Jin the stories from his and Yue’s childhood. The older boy was quite interested in what someone like Yue would have in common with Kame and how they had spent their time. After a while he stopped focusing so much on Kame that was walking in front of him and started looking around to notice some strange signs. People around the town were quickly rushing to their houses and shutting down all the windows and doors. Even shops were getting closed. He asked Kame about that.  
  
“Hm? Oh… It’s normal. They are scared that I may damage their property by accident. I’m forbidden from stepping inside.”  
  
Kazuya explained and Jin couldn’t help but feel really sorry for the poor boy. It was like being marked by society as an unwanted disease. For him it was difficult to ignore hateful stares of townspeople but the younger boy was used to it and knew it’s better to let them be. Within a few minutes they could see a bakery with a big sign with a name of the shop; “Kawasaki’s Sweets”. It wasn’t the most sophisticated name but who cares when their products are Heaven.  
  
The boys came inside. The old lady was standing behind the counter. When she saw Kame, Jin thought she would kick them out immediately but the lady smiled widely and hugged the younger boy. She was a nice woman; Kawasaki-san said that Kame and Yue used to come to her shop almost every day and she loved having both of them around.  
  
Akanishi understood that. Kazuya’s wide smile and shining in anticipation eyes made others happy. The more he knew Kame, the more he wanted to be closer to the boy; he was like a puff of fresh air in the middle of big smoky city… it’s weird considering that the boy has terrible luck but whatever.  
  
After a short conversation and Kazuya buying half of the store’s cakes, the boys went back to Yue’s house. There was still attic left but Kame assured Jin that the things there are arranged by its owners, they just need to check which part of the attic belonged to Yue’s grandma and go through her stuff. It was a simple task, a small chest on the right was signed with the woman’s name.  
  
“Do you think the book might be inside?” Jin asked trying to look through a keyhole.  
  
“Maybe, but knowing this family, the book might be under one of those piles.” Kazuya pointed to a big collection of different books and old newspapers. “Let’s start with the chest though.”  
  
“Heh…” Jin sighed and let Kame open it. He crossed his arms and leaned on a window sill. “There’s something I was wondering about…”  
  
“What’s is it?” Kazuya’s voice was muffled since the boy stick his head inside the piece of furniture.  
  
“It’s about Karen. I know why she was surprised by me being here but why did she look at you as if she never saw you before?”  
  
“I don’t know, maybe because the last time we saw each other was in my second year of high school. It’s been a while, don’t you think?”  
  
Jin nodded slowly and started going through the stuff closest to him. At 8 PM they decided to call it a day. The attic had bad lights and searching for the spell book became uncomfortable. They both said goodbye to Mitsui family and went to Kazuya’s house. When they came inside and left their shoes in the genkan, they could hear noises coming from Kamenashi’s dining room. It looked that they were on time for supper. Hearing the door closing, Kazuya’s mom came out from the room.  
  
“Oh, Kazuya, Akanishi-kun! Good that you’re back. Sit down, I will put rice in your bowls.”  
  
“Thank you, mom. Come on, Jin! I’m hungry.”  
  
Kame said and skipped to the door. When they came inside all eyes were on them. Jin bowed and got introduced to the men sitting there. He was hungry too so at first everything was okay but at some point he felt something weird. When he raised his head to look around, he saw three pair of eyes glaring at him. He swallowed and shrunk a little in his chair. The atmosphere started to be tense. Kamenashi-san seeing how his boys were behaving, tried to help Jin.  
  
“Akanishi-kun, what are you doing for a living?”  
  
“Huh? Oh, I’m a singer of the band AT-TUN. Your son is our songwriter.”  
  
“You must be famous then. You probably had many girlfriends, ne?” Yuya asked, looking at Jin with a fake smile on his face.  
  
“N-no, I had only one girlfriend. In high school.” Jin replied stuttering slightly.  
  
“Really? Then you prefer a one night thing?”  
  
“Yuya!!! You’re rude! And where did you learn this?! I forbid you from insulting our guest!” The mother scolded her son harshly.  
  
“Sorry, mom.” The boy said and turned towards his plate, while Yuichiro cleared his throat bringing Jin’s attention to himself.  
  
“Anyway, I hope that Kazuya doesn’t create any problems for you?”  
  
“He can be a real pain in the ass, you know?” Koji added with a lopsided smile.  
  
“Nii-chan! I’m not that bad~!” Kazuya whined.  
  
“Well, actually… we’re here because Kamenashi-kun _brought_ me troubles.” Jin said honestly.  
  
“What troubles?” The father asked and the brothers looked really interested in the matter.  
  
“We exchanged our lucks. Kamenashi-kun has my good luck, when I got his misfortune.”  
  
“And how that happened?” The man furrowed his eyebrows while Koji tried to egg Kame on.  
  
“No need to ask, dad. It’s Kazuya we’re talking about. He himself is a problem.” Kame puffed his cheeks at that and opposed without thinking.  
  
“I’m not! It’s not my fault that I ran into him and our lips crashed. We tried to reverse it but it looks like kissing again didn’t help at all~!” He pouted and started playing with his food, completely missing his brothers’ and father’s astonished expressions. Akanishi wasn’t much better; a cold shiver ran down his spine.  
  
“...Kissing you say…” Koji said and a devilish smirk appeared on his face. Jin looked at the other’s faces. The father looked stunned and, apparently, his and Yuichiro’s overprotective sides kicked in. Yuya was observing the scene in excitement. Something told Jin that the boy would enjoy seeing him in pain. ”Tell me, Akanishi-kun… Did you enjoy it?”  
  
“...Huh?” Jin wasn’t sure where this conversation was heading but he surely didn’t want to go there.  
  
“He asked if you enjoyed kissing Kazuya?” Yuichiro asked glaring at the man who was fidgeting nervously on his place.  
  
“Ano… I-I…” he couldn’t look at the intimidating man.  
  
“Yes or no?” Jin was even more scared and looked at Kame seeking for help but the boy seemed to be engrossed in his dish so much that he didn’t even realize a tense atmosphere around him.  
  
“Y-yes...”  
  
Jin answered quietly not knowing if Kame could hear him or if his honesty was actually a good thing in this situation. Obviously not. Kamenashi-san visibly tensed and Yuichiro was ready to strangle the poor man. On the other hand, Yuya was enjoying Jin’s scared face, while Koji seemed to have a great fun. He had this evil glint in his eyes that made Akanishi sweat.  
  
“Hm... Is that so~? Then when can we expect an invitation to your wedding?” Koji asked smoothly.  
  
“WHAT?!” Three voices echoed through the room equally shocked by the man’s question.  
  
“I-I, w-we don’t…n-no… I-I mean…” Jin started stuttering and the father’s and the oldest brother’s eyes widened and their hands started shaking. “We haven’t thought… I mean, I don’t want to… No! Wait, it’s not like that!”  
  
Akanishi waved desperately with his hands in front of him, trying to deny any weird assumptions that formed in both Kamenashi’s minds. The two men stood up quickly and went around the table. Jin seeing them approaching him, stood up as well and started running away with a short yell. Yuya and Koji couldn’t help but laugh at the men. The mother was observing the whole scene slightly annoyed by her husband's and son’s antics. Finally the two angry men caught Akanishi and pinned the boy to the carpet. Fortunately for Jin, the wife had enough of it when Kamenashi-san took a knife and wanted to shave the boy’s hair off in hope that his third son won’t fall for a fool like Akanishi.  
  
“Both of you! Get off Akanishi-kun, now!” She ordered and took both Kamenashi by their ears. “Sit down! He’s our guest! It’s not nice to chase after guests with a knife in hands! Yuya, stop laughing! And Koji, stop egging others on! You might unintentionally hurt someone! I’m sorry for them, Akanishi-kun” She helped the boy to stand up.  
  
“It’s nothing, Kamenashi-san. It’s my fault for confusing you.”  
  
The rest of the supper was rather peaceful even though Jin was getting cold stares from the oldest men and mischievous smirks from the other two. Kazuya remained oblivious for the whole time; when he finally looked up from his plate after being content, he was surprised by the silence surrounding him. He couldn’t understand what had happened and Jin wasn’t brave enough to tell him. The older boy also wasn’t sure if it wouldn’t be like a suicide; Yuichiro and his father could kill him for trying to turn their precious baby against them.  
  
The boys went upstairs to Kame’s room accompanied by suspicious glares. Akanishi was thankful that Kazuya had a lock on his door because he was quite afraid that the oldest brother may try to suffocate him in his sleep.  
  
When they both were lying on their futons, Jin started thinking about this crazy day. It was a total failure, even Yue’s necklace didn’t help him much. Yeah, he didn’t get run over by anything nor was he bitten by a wild animal but they didn’t find the book and he was almost killed by Kazuya’s family.  
  
Jin sighed deeply and turned towards Kame to ask the boy what were the chances to find the freaking thing but he was surprised to see the boy’s already sleeping face.  
  
Suddenly Jin realized something. No matter how much this boy in front of him suffered over the years, he was still smiling and going forward. He didn’t mind his bad luck and was even willing to get it back from the other. Jin felt ashamed of himself; Kazuya was trying to help him and yet he was selfishly self-pitying himself.  
  
The man looked at the boy again. He looked so peaceful; no worries, no troubles. A small smile was playing on his lips making his face angelic. He was beautiful. Jin stretched out his hand and touched the boy’s cheek caressing it lightly. He didn’t know what came into him; Kazuya looked like an innocent and fragile child. It was hard to believe that this small boy was so strong. It amazed Jin; he wanted to take care of the younger, make his life easier. He didn’t understand these feelings but at the moment he didn’t care.  
  
Akanishi took his hand away but was still looking at Kame. Slowly he drifted off to sleep with Kazuya’s face being the last thing he saw before sinking into obliviousness.

 

* * *

  
The next day was rather normal. Kazuya’s brothers and his father were more civil with Jin thanks to the mother who threatened them with washing their own socks for a month. Kame and Jin ate breakfast and quickly made their way to Yue’s house. Not wasting time they went to the attic with Ryota who agreed to help them again. His knowing smirks were driving Jin crazy. Something was telling him that Kazuya wasn’t the only Kamenashi that Ryota was in contact with.  
  
It took them another hour to organize the chest and piles on the right side. It was a heavy job considering that grandma Mitsui, just like her granddaughter, liked to collect strange items. They were able to find old clothes pins, various postcards and some small screws that didn’t fit anywhere.  
  
“Damn, your grandma was a crazy woman, I tell you!” Jin exclaimed pulling out an old underwear with a small teddy bears on it and throwing it away with disgust.  
  
“I know! Who the hell is collecting pens without ink in them?” Ryota added looking inside the box next to him.  
  
“Guys! I found it! Yatta!” Kazuya yelled happily and bounced towards the two boys with a huge book in his hands. “Look! It’s the book Yue was talking about! “Two-thousands and one spells to complicate your life”, it’s it!”  
  
“Yeah… Your grandma was more than just simply crazy and Yue is her less dangerous copy.” Ryota only nodded in agreement. His sister thankfully wasn’t as skilful with magic tricks as their late grandmother.  
  
“I will call Yue and let her know that we’re coming home.” When they came down, Kame dialed a number and waited for a few seconds to hear a tired voice of his best friend on the other side of the line.  
  
 _“Hello…?”_  
  
“Yue? We found it!” he said with a huge smile.  
  
 _“Really? That’s good.”_  
  
“…Are you okay? You sound stressed.” He was concerned about her.  
  
 _“I’m okay, don’t worry. My tight schedule is getting to me, I think.”_  
  
“Heh, okay. Anyway when can we come back?”  
  
 _“As soon as possible would be the best. I know that you would like to spend more time with your family but maybe on another occasion. I need Bakanishi here, unfortunately. Besides, I don’t know how long the necklace will still work.”_  
  
“No problem. But promise me something.” He said, a plan forming in his head.  
  
“ _What is it, Kazuya?”_ She asked suspiciously.  
  
“Next time you will go with us.”  
  
 _“…Fine. Now, get packed and come back.”_ Unconsciously, Kame included Jin in his plan. Thankfully only Yue caught it and decided that it would be better not to comment on it. After all the boy was as dense as a fog can be thick in the morning. _“Bye, have a safe trip.”_  
  
“Bye.”  
  
Kazuya hung up and both boys said their goodbyes to Ryota. The same went to Kame’s family. Jin and the younger packed their things and after getting some more or less friendly hugs, they headed towards a station. On their way Kame insisted on visiting Kawasaki-san’ bakery to buy some sweet treats for the rest of AT-TUN and Yue since the girl loved chocolate just as much as Kazuya loved cakes.  
  
They were waiting for their transport, enjoying small candies that the lady gave them in the shop. Both were really happy at the thought of going home and finally getting their lives back to normal, especially Jin who already forgot of his night’s musings and concentrated on the book. He tried to read it but the words were really weird and didn’t tell him much.  
  
“How the heck Yue is going to understand it? _‘...three bold pies, one enormous ladybird, eleven elephants…’_? The one who wrote it had to be insane.”  
  
“Really? Can I see?”  
  
Kame looked above Jin’s shoulder trying to read. Both boys didn’t realize how close they were to each other; they just furrowed their eyebrows in confusion at the weird text. Also none of them saw a figure coming closer to them in a quick steps.  
  
“Well, we have to hope that Yue knows this language.” Kame said and leaned back shrugging his shoulders.  
  
“Oh, Yue-nee knows it for sure!” The sudden voice which could be heard behind them made them jump up in surprise. When they turned around they were shocked at seeing Karen standing a few meters away with a huge suitcase by her side.  
  
“Ka- Karen-chan, what are you doing here?” Kazuya asked stuttering slightly in confusion.  
  
“Hm? Oh, I’m going with you, silly! I want to see my precious older sister!”  
  
Karen smiled sweetly at them but Kazuya gulped anyway. He knew the girl well enough to be aware of the reaction Yue was going to have at her sight. She would kill not only the younger girl but also make his life a living hell; and THAT surely wouldn’t be good...


	7. Lips

**Chapter 7: Lips**

  
AT-TUN and Yue were waiting for Jin and Kame. It’s been a few hours since Kazuya called her and she was sure that they were already in Tokyo. They all were kind of nervous. Yue explained to AT-TUN that her grandma’s books have been written in a _very_ weird way. She would be pacing around the room and biting her nails but her cool side didn’t let her lose control, it wasn’t the best time for it.  
  
They all were taking care of their own work; Ueda was strumming his guitar, Junno tried to break his own record in his favorite video game, Koki was coming up with new rhymes and Nakamaru practiced his beatboxing skills. Their manager, on the other hand, tried to accept or decline all the offers the guys had gotten after their last performance. It wasn’t an easy job to turn down great deals because some idiot was making a mess in every place he went to.  
  
A sudden knock on the door made everyone freeze. A few seconds later Jin and Kame came inside the room. The older boy was carrying a large book in a weird dark purple cover with title written in white letters: “Two-thousands and one spells to complicate your life”. Even though it was Akanishi that had a hold on the strangest item they have ever seen, it was Kame who caught Yue’s attention. The boy was smiling weirdly at her; it was the same smile he had every time something went wrong and his happy, too familiar, tone of voice didn’t help much.  
  
“Yue-chan! Look, I’ve got you your favorite cakes from Kawasaki-san’s shop! Here!”  
  
“…Thanks.” She said eyeing cookies and Kame warily, waiting for bad news.  
  
“Ryota-kun helped us find the spell book, he was so kind. I think he misses you, just like Taka-chan, uncle, aunt and Kaoru-kun. They are all worried about you and asked me to make sure you will rest after the new single. Oh, and we cleaned your room! I didn’t know that you have a blue carpet, I was so sure it was black. Also why do you have so many old magazines? It’s not like I mind but you’re not living there anyway, isn’t it better to take it to Tokyo? Also there was this weird bright yellow pillow…”  
  
“Kazuya. Shut up.” Her voice was icy-cold and everyone looked at the serious girl. Kame swallowed harshly. “Now… Tell me already.”  
  
“What should I tell you? There’s nothing, right Jin? Yeah, there’s no bad news. Why should there be?...” The girl narrowed her eyes at the sweat-dropping boy.  
  
“Stop blabbering and tell me the truth, Kamenashi Kazuya!” The boy bit on his lower lip and sighed heavily trying to calm himself down.  
  
“Okay, okay… There’s something you should know about.” Kame said and looked uneasily at the floor, avoiding his best friend’s eyes. “Well… um… you see… when we were waiting at the station someone came to us and said that is going with us...”  
  
The door opened with a loud bang and a person stepped inside the room. Yue’s eyes widened in shock and she visibly paled. The other boys were looking back and forth between their manager and an unknown girl that stood a few meters away from them with a big smile. She was pretty; long wavy black hair, small proportional face and big dark eyes. She was kind of cute in her green knee-length dress. Ueda could see a little resemblance to Yue though their manager was taller than the girl and her straight hair were dyed really dark shade of brown. Nobody knew why she had done that because indoors her high ponytail always looked black anyway.  
  
The boys tried to understand what made Yue freeze and Kame look so scared and uncomfortable in her presence for the first since they’ve got to know him. It was really unexpected and they didn’t know how to react; should they speak or remain silent? Before they could decide, Yue grabbed Kame’s elbow and dragged him outside the room through the backdoor.  
  
“What the fuck is Karen doing here?!” She hissed angrily.  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m really am. She suddenly appeared from nowhere. Before I could talk her out of coming with us, we were already on our way. I don’t know how that happened.” Yue sighed, put a hand on her shoulder and the other on her hips starting to pace around. Her cool side kind of abandoned her.  
  
“And what am I supposed to do with her? I can’t take care of her now, when we have the book.” She closed her eyes and leaned on the wall tiredly. Kame was watching her; she was really stressed and having her younger sister close wasn’t helping at all.  
  
“Maybe… Maybe I and Jin can take care of her for now?” Yue furrowed her eyebrows at the boy worriedly.  
  
“Are you sure you want to do it, Kame? I know that you don’t like her much. Heck! Even I don’t like her and she’s my family!” Kame took a shaky breath.  
  
“I will do it. It’s better that way. You need to focus on stuff here and Jin and I won’t help you.” He could see an uncertainty in her eyes, how worried she was. “Everything will be alright. I promise.” He smiled reassuringly.  
  
“…Fine… Fine but if something happens you will tell me about it, understand?” He nodded with serious expression and she relaxed slightly. “Good.”  
  
“Don’t worry, we will take Karen back to your flat safe and sound.”  
  
Yue wanted to say that it was not Karen she was worried about but she knew it would be meaningless, Kame already knew what was making her uneasy about his plan. They came back to the room and all eyes focused on them. The girl already figured out that the boys introduced themselves to her younger sister by the way AT-TUN was standing closer to her. Yue made her way through the room and stopped directly in front of Karen intensely staring at the younger girl.  
  
“You can stay but one bad move, word or action that would embarrass me, our family or my friends, hurt someone physically or mentally and I will send you straight home. Are we clear?” She said through clenched teeth.  
  
“Yes, I understand.”  
  
“Okay.” Yue said and went back to the table. “Akanishi and Kame will take care of you. Listen to them and don’t go anywhere without at least one of them.” Karen nodded and smiled a little.  
  
“…We’re going then.”  
  
Kame said and led their guest and Jin outside. Having Yue and Karen in the same room for too long was dangerous; he was aware of that. He had witnessed many fights between them and he certainly didn’t want another one now.  
  
When the three exited the room Yue was watching the door for a few more seconds before turning towards the rest of AT-TUN that lately seemed more like T-TUN. She couldn’t help but remember that weird name Akanishi had come up with when they started working together as a group. She shook her head lightly and her professional side took over.  
  
“Ueda-kun, practice your duet with Akanishi, please. I’m not sure he will be able to play guitar. Koki, help Ueda-kun with rehearsals, he needs to improve his English a little. Nakamaru-kun, go with them, you know how to make use of the machines in the studio. Later practice your own duo, if Akanishi stays the way he is now for the next week, your song’s going to be released first. Junno…”  
  
“I’m going to help you with the book!” Junno offered eagerly making Yue wince a little at his enthusiasm. Something was really wrong with the guy but she had way too many things on her mind now to care about it.  
  
“Fine. Bring your laptop, we will need it. The fucking thing doesn’t have a table of contents.”  
  
She said and put the huge old object on the table opening it to read the first page. Every sentence she read was a bundle of rubbish, completely unrelated words that unfortunately had inner meanings. While reading slowly and trying to decipher a hidden message, she put an elbow on the table top and propped her head on the hand. It was going to be a long day…

 

  
* * *

  
When Karen, Jin and Kame left the building, the younger boy exhaled in relief. Yue took the news better than he thought she would; she hadn’t killed any of them. He wasn’t happy that he has to spend the rest of the day, and probably the next one, with Karen. He just hoped that the wicked girl will behave properly in front of Jin. After all, it looked like she liked him… or at least saw an opportunity to find herself a rich husband.  
  
“Karen-chan, is there any place you would like to go to?” Kazuya asked trying to be as polite as possible.  
  
“Hmm… I don’t know… What do you say, Jin-kun? Where should we go?” Kame winced at the girl’s sweet tone but it was a normal reaction for the boy. What surprised Kame more was this small pang in his chest when Karen called Jin’s name.  
  
“Well, I think it’s a good time for coffee. How about a café then? I know one that serves delicious Caramel Latte… or at least my friend says so.” Akanishi said a little taken aback by the sudden question.  
  
“Perfect! I would love to eat something sweet. Do you think they have a chocolate cake?”  
  
Karen took Jin’s arm and pulled the boy lightly. The older boy didn’t protest, in some way he enjoyed the girl’s attention. It’s been a while since a woman was interested in him. On their way towards the shop the girl was asking him a lot of questions and he liked it. He couldn’t understand why Yue was so angry or why Kame looked so uncomfortable around the younger girl, she was a real sweetheart.  
  
Jin was so deep in the conversation that he didn’t realize Kame was walking a few meters behind them. The boy was sad and he didn’t even know why. Something was wrong in the picture in front of him but he couldn’t put a finger on it. Kazuya was a rather positive person but right now he felt slightly depressed but he had to pretend to enjoy their afternoon, even if he had to spend all day listening to Karen.  
  
He looked at the sky. It was grey and heavy, it will be raining soon. Even the weather was against him today. He sighed and hastened his steps trying not to lose the pair from his sight.

 

* * *

  
Junno came back with his computer and sat next to Yue, looking over her shoulder to see the book. The girl was concentrating on the page in front of her. Junno couldn’t understand how the girl can read something like this without getting a headache. Well… she already had it even before their leader and the songwriter came back from their little journey. There was no difference for her now. Junno leaned back in his chair when Yue looked at him.  
  
“Okay, Taguchi-kun. We need to know which ‘spell’ it is. Thankfully their names are written on top of every page so we don’t have to read all of this.”  
  
“But how are we supposed to understand it?”  
  
“I know some of the words but you’re right. It’s a fucked up book.“ She said looking with a scowl at the book. “Anyway, there are some keywords in every name. I kind of know which one is it so the only problem is to find its real meaning. That’s where you’re needed. I will tell you what you need to find. Just tap it in and look for a link with total bullshit in it. If the site is purple, then it’s probably it.” Junno looked at her, half confused and half with admiration.  
  
“Um… I thought that this book is really old, how can we find answers on the Internet?”  
  
“I might not be my grandmother but I still belong to Fortune Tellers Guild. She had signed me in when I was a kid. Don’t ask me about it though, I haven’t been on any meeting for a really long time but I still remember the one when we decided to put the spell books’ codes in the Internet.”  
  
“’Spell books’ codes’? What’s that?”  
  
“Yeah, it’s a code that helps with reading the book. The elders know the codes by heart but youngsters like me rarely remember 1/10 of it so to make our lives easier they put codes in the net. The thing is that it’s quite hard to find it sometimes.” She sighed tiredly. ”And my grandma’s book is one of the most complicated ones.”  
  
“Oh…” Junno was quiet for a moment. Of course, being who he was, he changed the subject. “Who’s Karen?” Yue stopped reading and looked at the boy quite stunned; Taguchi really was the KY of AT-TUN.  
  
“…She’s my younger sister.” She said going back to her task. “I hope she will go home soon.” Junno saw how the girl’s expression changed from focused to worried.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Yue glanced at him. “I can see that something is bothering you. What is it?” She sighed.  
  
“Karen. When we were younger she was kind of bullying Kame. I’m afraid that she will try to upset him again. I think she’s having a grudge against him.”  
  
“Did Kame-chan do something to her?” Taguchi couldn’t believe that someone like Kazuya would hurt someone intentionally.  
  
“Not on purpose. It was an accident. He spilled his orange juice on her new dress once. And once he tripped and pulled her with him in a huge puddle of mud.”  
  
“And you think it’s a reason why she treats him like this?”  
  
“Maybe… I don’t know. Wherever we tried to talk we ended up fighting and calling ourselves names.” She shrugged her shoulders.  
  
“You should probably try again.”  
  
“Yeah, probably…”  
  
They went back to work, this time in silence focusing on the task. From time to time Yue gave Junno a word that he had to find and later read the results of his search. Word after word they were getting closer to encoding the weird language used to write the book but there was a lot of work to do before the right spell would be found…

 

* * *

  
Just like Kame thought, it started raining soon after he, Jin and Karen stepped inside the café. It was quite crowded but since Kame had Jin’s good luck, they were able to find an empty table next to the window in a more private part of the room. Karen sat down first pulling Jin with her. Kazuya sat on the opposite side of the table knowing perfectly well that it’s better not to be in the way of her constant flirting with the older boy.  
  
“We’re lucky that it didn’t start raining earlier.” Jin said looking outside the window but he quickly turned his eyes to the girl and later to Kame. “What do you want from the menu? I will go and make the order.”  
  
“I will take these Caramel Latte you mentioned before. Do you think it will rain for long? I would like to buy ice-creams, I saw that they sell them at this park we passed a few minutes ago.”  
  
“Hm, I think in an hour we will have a perfect weather again.” He smiled nicely to the girl. “What do you want Kame?” He asked the boy.  
  
“I will take a hot chocolate, thank you.”  
  
Kame smiled lightly not feeling good at the thought of being left alone with the girl even for three minutes. Jin nodded, quite surprised by the request since today it was rather warm despite the rain. He stood up and made his way towards the shop’s counter. Meanwhile Karen turned to face Kazuya. She still wore a sweet smile but in her eyes there was this evil glint that made the boy shiver.  
  
“Well, Kamenashi-kun, I never thought that you will be able to make friends with such a good-looking guy. I’m impressed.” Her voice might sound normally but Kazuya could tell that she’s just playing with him. “You know… I was wondering about something from the time I saw you at uncle’s house. Tell me… what did you do to look like this?” She asked pointing at his face.  
  
“W-what…?” He wasn’t sure what she meant but he knew it’s nothing good.  
  
“Did you got yourself a plastic surgery? Oh, of course you did! You made a small mistake though, you know? Girls prefer when the guy isn’t prettier than them. But don’t worry, Kamenashi-kun, I’m sure you will find yourself a nice guy. Actually, one of my close friends is looking for a boyfriend to check how it is to be with a guy. Are you interested? I will give you his number later.”  
  
The girl said not even changing her expression. A stranger would probably think that the girl was just trying to help Kame with his love life but anyone who knew real Karen was aware that the girl was ironic and vicious, trying to upset and hurt the boy. She only stopped when Jin came back to their table with their drinks. Kazuya felt like crying, just like every time Karen said something bad to him in their childhood. He couldn’t, not in front of Jin.  
  
Kazuya took his chocolate faking a smile. Jin noticed that Kame’s eyes were shining unnaturally but when he asked if everything’s okay, the songwriter just made an excuse saying that he yawned a few times in row a while ago and his eyes got watery from it. Akanishi shrugged it off, only half-believing the boy, and started the conversation with Karen, completely oblivious to anything else.  
  
Kame watched them for a while. Karen was talking animatedly while Jin listened with interest. They looked like a real couple. That picture made his heart throb. It was a strange feeling. The café was warm and comfortable but deep inside his heart he felt like leaving this place.  
  
Kazuya looked out the window. Droplets of water were falling quietly on the pavement. The boy smiled sadly. He didn’t know why but he imagined Jin and himself, just staying outside. Nothing else. No talking, no holding hands, no staring at each other, no kissing. Just standing side by side, getting soaked by the gentle rain…

 

* * *

  
Junno was sending glances at the working girl. She was tired but still tried hard to keep her focus on the task. The boy really wanted to help her more but he could do nothing else but to search for words she needed. Observing Yue, Taguchi saw that she’s rubbing her fingers from time to time. The weather was warm but an air conditioner was turned on in the studio so without moving around much, you could easily get cold.  
  
The boy watched the manager for a few more minutes before he suddenly got up and exited the room. Yue hadn’t seen anything trying to translate another spell’s name. Taguchi came back after a while with two cups of steaming liquid. Normally Junno’s ideas were rather random but this time it was a bull’s eye.  
  
He came quietly towards the girl and put a cup in front of her, being careful not to scare her by accident. She was surprised by the hand that appeared before her eyes and looked up from her notes. She was eyeing warily the boy and the cup in turns. Yue couldn’t understand what was going in Junno’s head this time. She was always quite cautious in Taguchi’s presence. He was the first person that could caught her off her guard with his behaviour – a living randomness and a total opposite to her own rather stable life.  
“What is it?” She asked the boy taking a cup in one hand.  
  
“A hot chocolate.” He shrugged but at her questioning gaze, he explained further. “It’s cool in here and Yue-chan looks like she needs something to warm up.” She eyed a cup before finally taking a sip.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Junno smiled widely beaming. It was a long time since he had a chance to make the girl slightly happier. He was proud that his small gift made Yue smile, even if just a little. With a new power he sat at the table and tapped in phrases dictated by the manager. Since they both were in a better mood and Yue stopped furrowing her eyebrows, Junno decided to became a KY again.  
  
“Do you want to play video games with me later?” He asked not tearing his eyes from the screen.  
  
“…Maybe some other time.”  
  
She said after a while. Yeah, Junno will never stop surprising her.

 

* * *

  
When the rain stopped, Karen, Jin and Kame went to the park. Just like Jin promised, he bought Karen a chocolate ice-cream. They were walking side by side completely ignoring Kazuya. While the girl was doing it on purpose, Akanishi was just too excited in his story about forming AT-TUN that he unconsciously forgot about the younger boy.  
  
Kame sighed wanting to go home but still, he couldn’t just leave them alone. It wasn’t just about the fact that Jin is now a living misfortune but also about a painful image of the couple kissing on a ferris wheel. The thought made his heart tear apart and he didn’t know why exactly. His eyes lingered longer on Jin’s lips, red lips that got stained by a sweet strawberry treat. They were hypnotizing the younger boy, hard to resist but he just shook his head to clear his mind from weird ideas that started to preoccupy it.  
  
He was observing the pair carefully. They were passing next to a huge puddle that stayed on the road. Kazuya’s eyes widened when he saw a car getting closer to them. He had no doubt that the car will splash the water directly on Jin. Without thinking he grabbed both, Karen and Jin by their arms and pulled them aside just in time.  
  
“Whoa… that was close. Thank you, Kame.”  
  
Akanishi grinned at the boy who smiled back, a small blush appeared on his face. The girl was watching them. She couldn’t believe that this girly looking guy took away Jin’s attention from her. Jealousy was making her mad. She narrowed her eyes in anger but relaxed soon, a wicked smirk playing on her lips.  
  
She came closer to the two guys. She started playing a role of a caring girlfriend. There were only centimeters between her and both boys. Then she made an unexpected sharp movement with her hand. She was pretending; pretending that Kame accidently hit her arm making her ice-cream fall down. She made a step back with a surprised face and started apologizing.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Akanishi-kun! You bought it especially for me and… I’m sorry!” She said bowing slightly.  
  
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It can happen to anyone. At least it landed on the ground and not on someone’s shirt.” Jin said politely, not realizing that Karen’s intention was to drop the sweet treat on Kame.  
  
“Still, I’m so clumsy sometimes...” She made a cute expression that almost always made guys go weak.  
  
“How about I buy you another one?” Jin smiled, trying to cheer up Karen.  
  
“Really? Will you do it for me?”  
  
“Of course! Wait for me here, I will be right ba-“  
  
Jin didn’t have a chance to end his sentence. He stepped forward completely forgetting about a fallen ice-cream. He slipped on a wet pavement. From there everything went quick and unexpected. Trying to balance himself he stretched out his hands but the fall was unavoidable. The next thing Jin was aware of was that he’s lying on something soft but his lips touch something even softer.  
  
It was like a déjà vu but the other way around. This time it wasn’t Kame that was lying on Jin but Akanishi lying on a frozen Kazuya. Their lips were touching lightly but both of them were too shocked to react. It took them a few good seconds to realize their position and another few to get up. Jin apologized slightly embarrassed but Kame just let it go, though it didn’t stop him from blushing. It was a really awkward situation. Before they were just a pair of strangers, now they were kind of friends and friends just don’t kiss each other, even accidentally.  
  
“Um… maybe we should, um, take Karen home?” Akanishi was scratching his neck.  
  
“Y-yeah… yeah, we should.”  
  
Kame answered not looking at the older boy. They both were oblivious to Karen’s intense stare. She was watching the whole scene, first with shock and disbelief, later with jealousy and anger. The girl played a sweet princess but she wasn’t stupid. Actually, she was quite perceptive when it came to people’s feelings and she didn’t like what she just saw. The two boys might not see it themselves but she knew that there’s something between them, and it’s not a simple friendship.

 

* * *

  
The next morning when Kazuya stepped inside Yue’s office, the manager was sure something was not right. The boy was visibly exhausted and even though she wished it was all Karen’s fault, a small annoying voice in her head was telling her that her younger sister wasn’t the main reason of Kame’s bad state. Yue made a quick coffee and put the cup in front of the boy that was sitting silently at the empty table. He just gave her a grateful smile. She sat next to him, now seriously worried.  
  
“Kame, what’s wrong?” She asked in concern but the boy shook his head. His eyes talked otherwise. “Kazuya, I know you long enough to see that you’re not in your best shape. I’m your best friend, you can tell me everything.” She squeezed his hand lightly trying to encourage him.  
  
“I’m alright just…”  
  
“Just?” She tried to urge him to say what was on his mind. The boy sighed tiredly.  
  
“I couldn’t sleep at night. I was having nightmares. And this morning I tripped on the carpet in the living room. Then when I opened a window, a bird flew inside my flat. I tried to scare it away for half an hour.” Yue furrowed her eyebrows.  
  
“That means that your bad luck came back to you. Shouldn’t you be happy about it? You wanted to help Bakanishi, right?”  
  
“Oh, I am happy about that.”  
  
“Then what’s wrong?” She eyed him but he averted his gaze away from her.  
  
“Actually, it’s…” He took a deep breath. “It’s about Karen.”  
  
Kame told Yue about Karen’s mean behaviour and how she was making fun of him. The older girl was angry at her sister but Kazuya quickly calmed her down. He didn’t want to face another war between the sisters, it was better to just let it be. Reluctantly, Yue agreed knowing that she might make it worse. Still, he was mad at the younger girl and only wished for her to just go back home.  
  
While Kame was sipping on his coffee trying to regain his composure, Ueda, Koki and Maru came to the office. They all were surprised seeing the youngest boy so miserable. They knew him only a few days but he was always cheerful, full of energy and positive. Now the boy was gloomy. When they asked him if he’s okay, he only nodded. They let him be when Yue just shook her head signalizing for them to drop the subject.  
  
The door opened and a pleased Jin came inside saying that Karen will join them in the moment. A huge grin that adored his face, told Yue that the boy got his luck back as well as Kame had back his misfortune. The girl made use of her sister’s absence and decided to find out how the boys were able to cure themselves.  
  
“I’m not sure actually. Yesterday we were going near the park, Kame saved me from becoming a drowned rat, Karen’s ice-cream fell down.” Kame came closer to them, standing with his back facing the door. ”I slipped and then I landed on Kame.” Yue furrowed her eyebrows.  
  
“So you kissed again?” She assumed.  
  
“Yes, but we already checked that it doesn’t work. Maybe it’s because we’re falling down on each other?” Kame asked but Yue shook her head.  
  
“That’s impossible, every fortune teller will tell you that. No matter how strong the spell is it can’t be executed by any violence or hurting someone. When you fall down you can hurt yourself. It must be something else.” She put a hand on her chin thinking hard about any other possibilities.  
  
“Why do we even care about it? The most important is that everything went to normal.” Jin said with the smile.  
  
“Yue-chan, when can I put the-“  
  
It was when Junno came inside carrying a huge box with a big smile on his face. Unfortunately, he pushed Kame with the door. The boy’s eyes widened and he desperately tried to stay on both feet but it was too late. For the third time Jin and Kazuya landed on the floor, with the latter on top of the other, lips touching. This time their reaction was almost immediate and they got up instantly but they still were shocked enough to fell silent.  
  
Everybody in the were staring at them with huge eyes. Only Yue got over the view quite quickly and took out her dices giving them to the boys. The result was obvious for her and shocking for the rest – Kame was lucky, again. Jin groaned while Kazuya was just staring at his dice.  
  
“Not again! But why? We tried kissing already and it didn’t work right? Maybe it’s really about the falling?”  
  
“I told you, Bakanishi, that’s impossible.”  
  
“Then what?! Some little fairies are sprinkling us with some magic sand every time we’re landing on each other?” Yue looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  
  
“I think I have to agree with Jin. It can’t be kissing, right?” She looked at Kame and walked towards the book, turning some pages.  
  
“Actually, I think it IS kissing that changes you.”  
  
“What? But how?” Kazuya asked surprised.  
  
“I’m not sure yet but I’m close to figuring it out.” The boys looked at her. She turned back to them. “Just stay with each other for now. I and Junno will take care of the book, there’s not much left.”  
  
The two boys nodded and before anyone could say something more, the door opened again and smiling Karen stepped into the office. She gave everyone a good morning greeting and without hesitation took Jin’s arm. Kame stepped aside trying to not bother the couple. The younger girl started pulling Akanishi outside. She smiled sweetly at Kame and invited him to tag along. She was trying to pretend that they were in a good relations. Yue was just eyeing her sister angrily while clenching her teeth together to not say something unnecessary.

 

  
* * *

  
TaNaka duet came back to practicing their song, Ueda was playing guitar in one of the rarely used rooms and Junno and Yue were translating the book, concentrating on every spell that had something in common with kissing and exchanging luck. Taguchi was smiling like always but he felt a little tensed. The girl next to him was in a really bad mood. It wasn’t maybe the wisest move but the boy decided to ask her about it.  
  
“Ne, Yue-chan?” She looked at him annoyed. “Why are you angry? I thought that you would be happy that we have some new clues.”  
  
“I am but Karen pissed me off and I can’t even do anything. Kame wants to deal with her by himself.” She explained turning the page and reading it.  
  
“Um… she doesn’t look evil for me?” He asked carefully but the girl snorted.  
  
“I will tell you something but if someone else gets to know about it, you’re dead, capisce?” The boy just nodded eagerly and the girl sighed more at peace now before looking down at the page. “Karen has a sharp tongue, just like me. The difference between us is that she is using it to hurt people’s feelings, to humiliate them. Kame was her scapegoat from the beginning. Sometimes you can even tell that she’s trying to hurt someone, for you it might sound like a normal conversation. Yesterday she said something to Kazuya. It wasn’t nice.”  
  
“Really? Maybe he was wrong and she really just tried to be nice.” Yue shrugged her shoulders.  
  
“Maybe…but only if saying that your guy friend is a perfect boyfriend material, even though he just wants to try having sex with another guy and suggesting that you had a plastic surgery to be prettier than a girl is considered being nice.”  
  
She looked at him but Junno just opened his mouth in shock. His reaction was quite amusing in her mind. She was a mean girl, not as mean as her younger sister of course, but enough to smirk at Taguchi’s expression. They both came back to work more relaxed than before. Yue had to admit that the usually annoying and too cheerful for her liking boy was a good company and a hard worker. She started to enjoy spending time with him.  
  
Suddenly her smirk disappeared. She was intensely reading the page for a few minutes. Finally her eyes slightly widened. Junno, who was observing the girl from the corner of his eye, stopped his work and turned his head fully towards Yue.  
  
“Taguchi-kun, I think we found it.”  
  
She said and pointed at the page in front of her where a weird inscription written in bold letters was visible: “How to make an elephant fly and a bird swim in mud.”

 

* * *

  
Jin, Karen and Kame went to a mall. At first the three of them were just walking around and looking for new clothes collections. It was the girl’s idea but this time Kazuya didn’t mind much. He liked shopping from time to time and being a man let him at least for a while disappear from Karen’s sight. After all she couldn’t walk into the men's dressing room.  
  
It was a nice afternoon. Kazuya wouldn’t tell a lie saying that it was the best time spent with Karen he have ever had. But everything good is coming to an end at some point. They were walking slowly along a line of shops when Karen’s eyes stopped on the poster displayed in front of the cinema. The girl squealed happily and dragged the boys closer to read the details. It was a new romantic comedy.  
  
“Akanishi-kun, can we watch it? Please! I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time!” She made a puppy eyes.  
  
“Yeah, sure. Do you mind Kame-chan?” Jin asked the boy politely but he agreed, hoping that he won’t be sitting next to the girl. Karen on the other hand wasn’t happy with the way the older boy addressed Kazuya. “Okay, I will go buy the tickets. Wait for me here.” When Jin went away the girl turned to face Kame.  
  
“You know, I really thought that you will get a hint.” She squinted her eyes and made a step forward. “Akanishi Jin is mine, do you get it? I won’t let some girly boy take him away from me. Besides what is it? Some strange joke? Two sizes too big sweater, nerdy glasses and this old ugly backpack.” She grimaced.  
  
“It’s… It’s not your business…” Kame whispered a little scared of her. The girl snorted.  
  
“Of course it’s not my business. But I can’t understand how someone can actually like you. A walking bad luck.” Kame’s eyes widened at the sight of the girl’s cruel smirk, the same one she always wore when trying to make him cry. “You may look better now but you’re still the same little guy that can’t take care of himself. A jinx. Tell me, how many people’s lives you invaded with your existence? Is it nice to use everyone around you, to made them responsible for you? Do you think that my sister likes to always patch up your mistakes, to follow your every step just so she can catch you when you fall? Now you want to destroy another person’s life?” She laughed seeing that Kame’s eyes were getting wet, a soft sobs escaping his lips. “Stop crying! You’re just a useless, valueless, troublemaking piece of trash! You should just disappear and even better if you were never born! You little…”  
  
“ENOUGH!”  
  
A sudden voice interrupted her. The girl turned around to see angry Jin staying just a meter away from her. Karen’s eyes widened just like Kame’s slightly red ones. He hadn’t seen Jin approaching them at all. Akanishi was furious. When he had met Karen, he thought that she’s just a typical teenage girl. He didn’t mind her and he was willing to take care of her since the girl was their manager’s younger sister but he would never thought that she was such a bitch! Yue wasn’t the nicest girl in the world, everyone knew that, but her sister was just a cruel witch that would sell her own soul just to have what she wants.  
  
“I thought that you’re a nice, sweet girl but now I see that you’re just selfish princess that likes to humiliate others.”  
  
“N-no, Akanishi-kun! It’s not that! Let me explain!” She tried to beg.  
  
“Shut up! I don’t care about your explanation! You hurt Kame and I won’t forgive you for that! We’re going back to the studio! Yue will know what to do with you.” Jin tried to grabbed the girl’s arm but she pulled it away and ran away in the crowd. “Karen! Come back here!” He tried to call the girl but a small voice behind him, stopped him.  
  
“Don’t. She will come back. She lives at Yue’s place but there are her friends somewhere around here.” Kame said not looking at the other boy and trying hard not to cry.  
  
“Are you okay, Kame-chan? If I knew that she treats you like this…” Jin ran a hand through his hair while the smaller boy just shook his head.  
  
“There was nothing that you could do. It was always like this.” Kame sniffed and wiped off his eyes with his too long sleeve. “She’s right. I’m just a nuisance for everyone. It would be better to just lock me somewhere so that I wouldn’t be a problem anymore.” Before the boy could say something else he felt a pair of arms closing around him in a hug.  
  
“You’re not a problem. If you were, Yue wouldn’t care about you so much, but she’s your best friend and she loves you. Your family loves you too. Heck! Even the whole AT-TUN likes you!”  
  
“Really?” Kame looked up at Jin with big puppy eyes, way cuter than Karen’s.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Even you? Even though I gave you my bad luck?” Jin smiled at the younger.  
  
“Even though you gave it to me, I still like you. You’re way too cute for anyone to not like you.” He answered truthfully and wiped off the remaining tears that stayed on Kame’s cheeks. “Now stop crying, put a smile on your face and we’re going to see the movie. It would be waste not to go since I’ve already bought tickets for it, ne?”  
  
Akanishi gave Kazuya a lopsided smile that cheered the boy up. None of the two really understood what happened between them but none of them cared anyway. They felt comfortable in each other’s presence, nothing else mattered. On their way to the cinema Jin got a call from Yue who asked them to come to the office at 9 PM. She didn’t say exactly why she needed them so the boys just shrugged it off and decided to enjoy the movie.

 

* * *

  
When Kame and Jin finally got to the studio, the rest of AT-TUN and Yue were already waiting for them. Junno looked confused, like he just couldn’t believe what triggered exchanges between his friends. Yue on the other hand looked pleased and worried at the same time. It was a weird mix, and Kame knew it. His best friend rarely was torn between being happy and biting her nails from nervousness.  
  
“So… why did you call us?” Jin asked when nobody else intended to say something.  
  
“Well, we found out what this is all about. Your lucks, I mean.” She answered staring at them intently.  
  
“…And~?” Akanishi tried to urge the girl to go on.  
  
“And~ it really is kissing.” She said and the two boys looked at each other as confused as Junno at the moment. “If I’m not wrong, the kiss changes your lucks back and forth.”  
  
“But we tried kissing before and it didn’t work.” Kazuya couldn’t really understand, just like the rest of the guys.  
  
“Because not every kiss works.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Ueda asked furrowing his eyebrows.  
  
“Apparently the kiss can’t be negative.” They looked at her weirdly. “I will try to explain. When two people are kissing normally, they are happy – a positive feeling. When Bakanishi kissed Kame in the studio a few days ago, he was angry. Being angry means that he had negative feelings so the kiss didn’t work.”  
  
“…Okay, I think I get it but what with the other kisses? I don’t remember being happy.” Jin asked and Yue rolled her eyes.  
  
“Have you listened? I said that only _negative_ feelings don’t work. When you and Kazuya kissed, both of you were confused. I would say that you were neutral in this, and neutral isn’t negative.”  
  
“So we can turn back to normal just by kissing?” Kazuya asked.  
  
“Yes but there can’t be any bad feelings towards the other person. Otherwise you will stay like this until someone will make you kiss by accident.”  
  
The boys looked at each other again. The atmosphere became tense and awkward in an instant. They both knew what they had to do but it wasn’t especially easy. There was no problem in staying positive or at least neutral, Jin liked kissing Kame even if he wouldn’t say it out loud, and Kazuya was thinking about the older boy’s lips for the past two days. Then where was the problem? Well, Jin felt just uncomfortable kissing a guy in front of his friends and the manager. The younger boy had a more serious issue. He was confused; confused about his own feelings. Of course he was happy that they would be back to normal but at the same time he knew that it might be their last meeting.  
  
Finally they calmed down their quite wildly beating hearts and closed the gap between them. This kiss was different from the rest. It still was quite short but for the first time both of them responded equally. When the kiss ended, they stood there for a moment looking at each other but Kame shied away quickly, avoiding Jin’s eyes. Without a word, Yue gave them the dices. When they threw them nobody had doubts that the spell reversed itself – Kazuya had his bad luck back.  
  
“Okay, everything’s like it was before.” Yue announced. “Bakanishi, I see you tomorrow at 8 o’clock in the studio. You haven’t practiced for far too long and we have only a few days left. Ueda-kun, you can come at 11 – rest properly. Koki, Maru, Junno, you too. Great work.” She praised them and went away to clean her desk.  
  
“So… that’s it. It’s over.” Jin said.  
  
“Yeah…” The room became silent but Koki couldn’t stand it.  
  
“Kame-chan?” The boy looked up at the rapper. “We will see each other again, right?” Kazuya smiled brightly at him, he was happy that someone wants him around, even after the mess he caused.  
  
“Of course, Koki-kun! Yue loves my songs, I will visit you when she buys another one.”  
  
“Well, we will surely miss having you around. You’re as cheerful as Taguchi but your smile isn’t as creepy as his.” Ueda pointed at the tallest member of AT-TUN. The said boy just pouted but almost immediately his smile returned even wider than before. Everyone laughed.  
  
“I should probably go now. It’s late and knowing me, I will get lost on my way home.” The youngest boy said with a small smile.  
  
“Then… see you later, Kame-chan.” Maru said and patted the boy’s shoulder in a friendly way, Ueda nodded while Junno and Koki hugged Kazuya tightly. When the boy turned around towards the door, Jin quickly grabbed his arm, to stop him.  
  
“I just wanted to say sorry for wasting your chance for a job.” Kame shook his head.  
  
“It’s okay, there will be another occasion. I’m really stubborn, just wait and observe. One day I will be the main songwriter for the biggest artist that ever walked in this world.”  
  
Kame smiled widely infecting with it the whole AT-TUN. When Akanishi released the youngest boy’s hand, Kazuya said goodbye to all of them and exited the room. AT-TUN were happy at the perspective of seeing the boy again, they were also relieved that he didn’t lost his high spirit, being as bold and simple-minded as always. None of them saw how Kame’s smile faltered slightly showing a sadness in the boy’s heart.

 

  
* * *

  
Everyone went home. Only Yue stayed in her office trying to clean the mess they left. She wasn’t aware that Junno stayed behind waiting for the girl. Taguchi came closer to the door and wanted to step inside with a big smile to volunteer in taking Yue home. He was about to knock, when she turned around. Thankfully, she hadn’t seen him. The manager leaned on her desk, crossed her arms and looked outside the window with bittersweet smile. It was an unexpected action and Junno decided to observe her without being found out. He couldn’t be more surprised when the girl started talking to herself.  
  
“Damn those two.” She sighed heavily. ”They are so blind. It’s pissing me off. Well, let’s just hope that they will realize what they feel before it’s too late.” The silence that followed next got disturbed by a call. “Hello?... Yes, it’s me… What?... I understand, I will be there in a few minutes. Thank you.”  
  
She ended the call quickly and put on her jacket. Grabbing her keys she made her way towards the door. Junno jumped aside in the last moment. He followed the girl that was angrily muttering something under her breath. Before she exited the building, Junno heard only one strange line coming out from her mouth that made him stop in his tracks with a wide eyes.  
  
“Why the police has to work 24/7?!”

 

* * *

  
Karen stood with a lowered head on the pavement. Next to her Yue was tapping her foot in annoyance, waiting for a bus that would take her sister home. The call from before surprisingly hadn’t had any connection to Kame but to Karen. When the girl had run away from Jin and Kame, she went to one of her friends in Tokyo. Unfortunately, this friend of her wasn’t the best influence. They both went to the mall and ended up being accused of stealing in the shop. Karen was released only because she apologized for her mistake and the owner decided to drop the charges.  
  
Finally Karen looked up at her sister. She couldn’t help but flinch, Yue was never as angry as she was now; her eyes were sharp, eyebrows furrowed and her hands were clenched into fists. The girl hadn’t said anything to the younger sister since she had picked her up from the police station.  
  
“…I’m sorry. It was bad…” Karen whispered but fell silent at the sight of her sister’s face.  
  
“You should have thought about it _before_ you decided to steal.” Yue turned her whole body towards the other girl. “What were you thinking? I thought that you’re wiser but I see I was wrong. Do you expect me to just wave it off and forget? Then you’re wrong. Do you know how many people you put in troubles with your irresponsible behaviour? Me, uncle, aunt, our parents and our siblings. I wouldn’t be happy seeing you behind the bars, they wouldn’t be either. You should understand that we care about you and it would worry us if you suddenly disappeared.” The girl scolded her younger sister, but the younger girl stopped listening at the word ‘worried’.  
  
“What about you?” Yue looked at her surprised. ”Would you be worried about me?” Karen was bravely staring in her sister’s eyes.  
  
“Baka! Of course I would be worried. And I was just a few hours ago! You’re my younger sister. No matter how annoying you are or how much I hate you for hurting my friends I still love you so much.” Yue crossed her arms.  
  
“But… But you’re always looking only at Kamenashi! When we were younger you were always with him…” Karen responded but avoided her sister’s gaze.  
  
“Huh… Listen.” Yue motioned Karen to sit next to her on the bench. “I was spending all my time with Kame because he’s my best friend. You know how I am, before him I didn’t have anyone beside our family. Kazuya is clumsy, dangerous to some point and simple-minded. Do you remember how he looked like in a second grade of high school?”  
  
“Yes, but he changed, right?” She answered not sure what her sister wanted to tell her.  
  
“Right, and it makes things even worse. I was taking care of him because he needed it. People were bullying him everywhere. When his appearance changed, he became more cheerful then. Normally you would think that since it’s better you can let go for a while but that idiot is blind. Someone would kidnap him or come inside his flat and he wouldn’t even think about this person as suspicious.”  
  
“Is that even possible?” Karen’s eyes widened.  
  
“Like you can see, it is. But I wasn’t hanging out with Kame all the time just because I wanted to protect him.” She met Karen’s eyes, her own now softer. ”Kazuya, even though he can easily destroy everything, has something inside him that makes people happier just by looking at him. I admire him for his energy to go forward. He’s always standing up after he falls, he doesn’t care if something is possible or not, if he wants something he will try his hardest to achieve it. Don’t you think that he’s cool, never giving up?” Karen looked at her knees thinking about all the times she saw her sister’s best friend; finally she started to understand.  
  
“…He is… Why is he doing it? Isn’t it a waste of time?” Yue shrugged her shoulders.  
  
“For me or for you it might be but not for him. Being with him really makes you think about stuff. When I see his smiling face I can’t help but wonder what makes him so happy. His answers don’t make sense most of the time but the damn brat makes you happy about the life you have. If I hadn’t met him back then, I think I would be in a deep depression right now.”  
  
Yue laughed heartily and Karen smiled lightly. She remembered the old times before Kame appeared in their lives. Yue was a gloomy girl, she hasn’t spoken to anyone and ignored her siblings but that changed when she befriended Kamenashi. When Karen came back from Los Angeles, Yue was having fun with their brothers, she was smiling more and talked to everyone. Karen wondered why she despised Kame? It took her a while but she could finally understand it. The boy made her older sister open up and Karen could just watch from afar. She was jealous of their friendship.  
  
The bus arrived and Karen went inside. She chose a sit next to the open window to talk to her sister.  
  
“I want to come back to Tokyo.” Yue looked at her surprised. “I still need to apologize to Kazuya-nii-san and I want to spend more time with you.”  
  
“You know I’m busy with stuff, right?”  
  
“Yes, I know. But don’t you think that Kazuya-nii-san will have a new protector soon?” She gave Yue a lopsided smile.  
  
“…You’re right. But only if those two idiots will get it finally.” Yue smirked lightly.  
  
“Then help them. Bye, bye. I will come soon.”  
  
Karen said her goodbye and closed the window when the bus departed. Yue stood at the bus stop waving after her sister. She was happy that Karen changed her attitude but there was still a long way ahead of them. Though she was right about one thing, Yue needed to help Jin and Kame if she wanted to sleep peacefully again.


	8. Reversion.

**Chapter 8: Reversion.**

  
It’s been a few days since Kame and Jin came back to normal. No one except for Yue saw the younger boy in these days, everyone was busy with an upcoming single. Today was a release day but AT-TUN wasn’t especially excited at the thought, something was missing. It wasn’t hard to figure out that the boys got attached to Kazuya just in a few short days. The boy could easily raise everyone’s spirit and now, when he wasn’t with them, they started missing him. It was like going on a concert of the favorite band. You’re having fun, you’re excited, happy, you enjoy the show but when it’s over and you exit the venue, you start to wish you were still there watching it over and over again. There was only one difference; you will get over it and be happy that you had a chance to see your idols but AT-TUN couldn’t forget Kame, couldn’t stop wondering if he’s alright.  
  
Yue was right, the boy’s smile and cheerfulness were infectious; his whole being was infectious. He always thought that he was only attracting misfortune but he was also attracting good friends. He had the power to make people’s lives brighter, more colorful and amazing. AT-TUN saw something in him and didn’t want to let it go.  
  
Soon the boys got distracted, thinking a lot about the youngest man. Mitsui couldn’t make them focus on their job even for an hour. Even Ueda and Nakamaru who were considered the sanest from the group had troubles with keeping their attention during rehearsals. The problem was that none of them wanted to admit out loud that they wanted to know what was happening in Kazuya’s life at the moment.  
  
“Okay, guys.” Yue said with closed eyes, massaging her forehead; she felt a headache coming. “Can one of you finally ask about Kame so I can tell you that he’s fine and you will be able to _concentrate_ on your fucking job?!” She was irritated, when AT-TUN stayed silent.  
  
“…How’s Kamenashi-kun?” At least Nakamaru was wise enough to know not to get on their manager’s bad side.  
  
“Oh, how nice you asked, senpai! He’s fine, just like he always was nothing to worry about!” She said in a hideously sweet voice that made others cringe. “Now, can we go back to work?! If you’re so concerned, go see him yourself for God’s sake!”  
  
The girl turned around and exited the room, she surely needed her time to calm down. The rest just looked at each other. They didn’t have to be mind readers to realize that they all thought about the same thing; if Yue told them that Kame’s good then it’s better to believe her and stop worrying about the boy that had dealt with bad experiences all his life.

 

* * *

  
Later that day AT-TUN, without Yue who was still pissed off by their unprofessional behaviour, were sitting in Jin’s renovated living room and waiting for midnight. Today their new single had a premiere and all of them wanted to see what place it got on the chart. They hoped for at least 10th place, just like their first single. The song, “Butterfly”, was really good and even though the whole band couldn’t sing it, they wanted it to be good enough to win against NEWS. The other band had a premiere of their new work on the exactly same day as AT-TUN had theirs.  
  
“Do you think we will beat NEWS?” Koki asked coming to the room with a huge bowl of popcorn in his hands.  
  
“Of course we will! Kame-chan’s songs are great! Nothing will beat them!” Junno was excited watching the TV intensely.  
  
“Well, let’s hope AT-TUN will be in the first ten. I haven’t watched TV or listened to the radio all day so I wouldn’t care about the sales at work.” Ueda said.  
  
“I haven’t even gone shopping afraid to feel down at the sight of fans in music stores. How about you?” Nakamaru asked the rest and was surprised to discover that Akanishi, Taguchi, Ueda and Tanaka also avoided such places; that only meant that none of them knew if the single was at least a little popular.  
  
“There’re only two hours left, soon we will know for sure how it went.” Akanishi said being nervous.  
  
“It’s weird seeing you so restless, Akanishi. You’re the luckiest guy on Earth, it’s not possible that our single is bad.” Koki said while rolling his eyes.  
  
“You forgot about one thing. When I’m the luckiest, Kame is the unluckiest guy on Earth. Who knows how it will work together…”  
  
The boys got quiet, Jin had a point, mixing the two boys’ lucks was like playing with fire; you can warm yourself up but you can as well burn everything to the ground. Ueda cleared his throat and sat on the couch followed by Akanishi and Maru. Koki and Junno chose the carpeted floor with a table just in front of them, after all popcorn and beer were the most important parts of this little party. The single sells badly – drink to forget; the single sells well – drink to celebrate; a simple but useful rule.  
  
While waiting the guys got bored. Staring at the same channel all night wasn’t especially entertaining. Koki, who had enough of the tense atmosphere, decided to torment Taguchi by throwing pieces of roast corn at him. At first Koki had fun looking as popcorn is sticking to the taller boy’s hair but soon Junno found out about Tanaka’s little scheme and started catching the treat with his mouth. Of course a wide grin irritated Koki even more and he jumped on the boy, trying to wipe it off. While rolling around on the carpet, the boys kicked the bowl that flew in the air. Its whole content fell on the other three boys that were sitting on the couch. It didn’t take long before a food war began.  
  
The boys totally forgot about the chart and the nervousness. They laughed and screamed while having fun like elementary kids. It was amazing that neighbors haven’t come complaining about the noise. AT-TUN lay tiredly on the floor, none of them could get up but Koki’s hand was searching for a can of beer anyway. Jin looked at the clock on his wall and his eyes widened; it was half past midnight.  
  
“Guys! Get up! It’s Thursday already!” He shouted and jumped on his feet simultaneously hitting Nakamaru’s head by accident.  
  
“Dude! Turn on the TV!”  
  
Koki quickly sat up on the floor with the rest of the boys. Jin tried to find a remote but during their fight, the item got lost. He ordered the rest to look for it. They were frantically searching in every place possible; behind the couch, under the table, in the vase, in the pot with a plant. Finally they could hear a happy scream from the bathroom. Akanishi quickly came out and turned on the TV. He skipped some channels to stop at the music station. The boys looked stunned at the screen.  
  
“That means…” Koki started.  
  
“…t-that we…?” continued Nakamaru.  
  
“How’s that possible?” asked Ueda.  
  
“I was sure that we…” Akanishi couldn’t end his sentence.  
  
“Well, now Yue-chan will be even more harsh on us.” Junno said as shocked as the rest.

 

* * *

  
Yue sat on the couch and sighed with a happy smile. She felt more relaxed now when she didn’t have to look at the five annoying faces of the band members. Those guys were driving her crazy before but now, when they knew Kazuya, it was like dealing with sulking teenagers; they won’t tell you anything and still expect you to understand them. She had enough. When Kame called her to invite her over for a dinner and a movie night, she was so thankful that on the way to his flat she bought his favorite strawberries, a bar of milky chocolate and almonds covered in chocolate and cinnamon for herself.  
  
“I can’t understand how you can eat that?” Kazuya asked when the girl took another of her almonds.  
  
“Well, I can’t understand how you can eat mashed strawberries with chocolate.” She answered looking at the fruits that for the time being were in their original shape.  
  
“They are sweet together!” He pouted.  
  
“But can’t you eat them by dipping them in chocolate? And my almonds are sweet too!” Kame’s eyes widened - Yue pouted!  
  
“Are you feeling okay? I’ve never seen you pouting before.” He asked and grabbed the bowl with strawberries.  
  
“I know, the fucking band is going to be the cause of me getting into a mental hospital.” Mitsui frowned.  
  
“Why’s that? I thought you like them… at least a little.” He added after looking at his best friend’s displeased face.  
  
“I do but I also wish they could be more like you. I mean, you always tell me what’s on your mind and I don’t have to remind you to do your tasks. They were so out of it today that I needed to get out from the studio to calm down.” Kame fidgeted slightly, almost invisibly but Yue caught it anyway.  
  
“Oh? Is that so? Well, maybe they just didn’t want to worry you. I will go mash the fruits. Be right back.”  
  
The boy disappeared in the kitchen. Mitsui wasn’t stupid, there was something that made Kame nervous. She wasn’t a person who would rummage through somebody’s else stuff but if Kazuya was keeping secrets from her, then something was really bothering him and he didn’t know how to talk about it. She made her way towards the boy’s bedroom. On the bed, there was lying a piece of paper. Yue took it gently and started reading. It was a mish-mash of different words and sentences. On the top of the sheet was printed only one word: “Lips”. It was a plan of the new song and she found it really interesting; not because it might be a good piece for AT-TUN but because she could see that Kame wrote down his actual thoughts and most of them somehow seemed like they were about a certain idiotic leader of the quite popular band.  
  
Yue quickly put the sheet down and came back to the living room to sit back comfortably on the couch. She grabbed her almonds and popped one inside her mouth while thinking about the found item. She wanted to confront Kazuya about it but Yue knew it would be wrong, it wasn’t the time to do it. She sighed and hoped that the boy will come to her himself.  
  
“What are you thinking about?” She looked up at Kame who brought back his mashed treat.  
  
“Really, it looks disgusting.” She said with a straight face while looking inside the bowl; it was good that she was used to seeing even more horrifying things.  
  
“Then don’t look at it.” Kazuya almost hugged the bowl to himself.  
  
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes before turning them towards the TV. “By the way, I wanted to ask you this for the whole evening… When did you bought a TV? I thought you didn’t need one. I hope I won’t have to visit you in the hospital if that thing will electrocute you.”  
  
“Don’t worry, I asked an expert to secure a plug-in socket. I bought it when I met AT-TUN, I thought that it would be better to know a little more about the industry I want to work for.” He shrugged and Yue couldn’t agree more with him.  
  
“Then turn it on, I want to see the chart. NEWS and AT-TUN released new singles today.”  
  
The boy skipped channels to finally find the one with the Oricon ranking on it. At first hosts were talking about some weird new band from South Korea that decided to conquer the hearts of Japanese fans. Both, Yue and Kame, found the song catching but nothing special. It talked about first love – typical kind of a song for spring; the usual. Finally the hosts announced the end of the program when, after credits, they show the top 20 singles.  
  
They sat staring at the slowly showing names of the top artists. Surprisingly, neither NEWS or AT-TUN have appeared on places from 20 to 11. It was kind of a good news but also a bad one if AT-TUN didn’t make it to top 10. Another six places went by and Yue and Kame got even more nervous. Finally they got to the fourth place; NEWS’ faces appeared on the wide screen. Though they didn’t make it to the best three, producers decided to show more information about them since getting a fourth place after just being active for only half a year, was a great success.  
  
When they showed the third place, all of Yue’s and Kame’s tension left. It was impossible for AT-TUN to have a higher place; if it wasn’t the third then it probably was twenty-something or even a lower one. Kazuya was sad, he hoped that his song was good enough to take a nice place on the chart. Yue was also disappointed. The song really was something in her opinion, she couldn’t believe that NEWS were better than AT-TUN! She could tell it was the end of the old bet between Akanishi and Yamashita; AT-TUN lost.  
Kame and Yue didn’t even see when the third place artist was replaced by the second place. They only looked up at the screen when the chart disappeared and the studio was shown so the hosts could announce the most selling single of the previous day. The hosts looked abnormally excited but being good actors helped them to fake such feelings.  
  
 _“It looks like we have a really young artist on top this time. It’s amazing how in just half a year they could improve their previous result. Can you believe that yesterday’s top single got sold in 376,932 copies? And it’s just a first day!”_ The woman spoke up from the TV.  
  
 _“Yes, it’s unbelievable. I wonder about how many copies will get sold to the end of the week. But there’s something even more interesting about our number one band.”_ The man said bringing Kame’s and Yue’s interest.  
  
 _“What do you mean?”_  
  
 _„Well, let see what our staff found about this band. Their first single got to the top ten best selling singles of the week. The members say that the band was formed spontaneously. Also there’s a rumor that their manager is a good friend of Nakata Haruki-san from ‘International Sounds Record’. It was reported that the band’s manager and Nakata-san were talking to each other quite a lot these days.”_ Now Yue furrowed her eyebrows; it sounded oddly familiar.  
  
 _“Well, we should probably finally announce the number one. Everyone’s waiting impatiently.”_  
  
 _“Of course, the number one yesterday’s top selling single is…”_  
  
Kame bit his lower lip and Yue crossed her fingers. That was it, the results; the last chance for AT-TUN. They both wanted to know who’s got the first place and Yue was ready to go straight to the TV studio to beat up the hosts for taking so much time just to make a tension-raising pause.  
  
Mitsui uncrossed fingers on one of her hands and took a handful of almonds, popping them one after another in her mouth. Kazuya was not much better. He took his bowl and put it on his lap. He couldn’t help but dig the spoon in the mish-mash and mash poor strawberries even more if it’s possible. He was staring at the screen without even trying to blink.  
  
Finally the two hosts looked at each other and then turned towards the audience that was sitting in front of their TV’s at almost one in the morning. Yeah, like there was so many people that decided to stay awake in the middle of the week just so they could see who’s number one on the Oricon chart for Wednesday.  
  
 _“The top selling single is…”_  
  
 _“…BUTTERFLY!!!”_  
  
The hosts shouted together. For a few moments Kame and Yue were frozen, they were just staring in front of them with huge eyes. Kame didn’t even realize that a spoonful of his sweet but weird dessert landed on his sweatpants. Thankfully the boy had a few more pairs in case of accidents like this one.  
  
Suddenly, they both screamed in happiness and hugged each other. Of course they jumped up from their places causing the bowl and a package of almonds fall making a beautifully messy stain on the thick, soft carpet of Kame’s living room.

 

* * *

  
Meanwhile, on the other side of Tokyo, five men were dancing and running around the flat with excitement. Their dream was coming true quicker than they had thought. First place on the Oricon chart, 376,932 sold copies of “Butterfly” in the first day; it was like a miracle!  
Akanishi stopped jumping and looked at the TV with a big smile, just in time to see their picture being shown. Slowly his smile faltered. The rest saw it too and kept glancing from Jin to TV and back to Akanishi. Something was wrong.  
  
“Why aren’t you happy Jin? You and Tat-chan took us to the top. You should be celebrating, not frowning.” Koki said what the others were thinking.  
  
“…What about Kame?”  
  
AT-TUN looked at their leader in silence; they all finally got it. They were missing him for the last few days and now, when they got the first place, they all wanted Kame to be with them. If not for the younger boy, they wouldn’t have succeeded. He wrote the song and practically arranged the music, they only needed to learn the lyrics and how to play some parts on electric guitars.  
  
“Well, I think he’s as happy as we are.” Ueda finally answered. “Yue’s with him and they’re probably having fun. They are best friends after all. Just like you and Yamashita. We shouldn’t worry right now, Kame is in good hands.”  
  
Tatsuya smiled. His speech visibly relaxed everyone in the room, bringing small grateful smiles. It was the time to party and drink a toast to a success and every future single or album that they are going to release in the, hopefully, near future.

 

* * *

  
At the end, or rather at the beginning of the day, it looked like Junno was right after all. Yue took Tatsuya and Jin for a whole day of practice, saying that they need to be prepared for a Saturday’s big show. Of course, Ueda didn’t complain, he was ready and Yue was going easy on him but Jin wasn’t so lucky. How ironic, isn’t it? She made him repeat every single line at least ten times, saying that he needs to be able to play it even woken up in the middle of the night. Koki and Maru were having fun, especially Koki who loved to annoy Akanishi almost as much as he liked tormenting Junno.  
  
Taguchi on the other hand got two days off. For the time being, he was the only member left without a new song to sing and the manager didn’t see why he should be around when there was nothing for him to do anyway. As simple as that. Junno was a little upset about it, he really wanted to practice with the rest. Well, the time for him will surely come one day.  
  
First few hours were intense. Everyone was focused on the jobs and forgot about Kame for a little while. Yue was quite happy with it; a few hours of relax that she really needed. But all good things are coming to an end. About 2 PM Mitsui got a call that scared her a little.  
  
“Hello?... Are you kidding me?... Please, don’t tell me it was the TV… Fine, but I’m not sure if you can call it ‘better’… I can’t come. I’ll try to send someone for you, just stay away from windows for now… Bye.”  
  
The girl sighed heavily and turned towards the boys. Of course they were eavesdropping on the whole conversation. And that’s how they focus flew out of the window; they were aware that the girl was only talking informally with them and Kame. Well, it could be Junno as well but Yue’s never really spoken to him on the phone so it was rather impossible. The only other person that wasn’t present in the room, was Kamenashi Kazuya.  
  
“Was it Kame-chan?” Koki asked immediately.  
  
“Yes-”  
  
“Is he okay?” She couldn’t even end her sentence when Jin asked.  
  
“Yes, he is… kind of…” she scratched the back of her neck.  
  
“What do you mean, Yue-san?” Maru asked politely knowing that the girl patience was short right now.  
  
“Kame had a small accident two hours ago. Nothing serious, really. Just a few scratches.” She added quickly seeing how everyone’s eyes were getting bigger. “The thing is that someone has to bring him back home, hospital doesn’t want to let him go alone. Nakamaru, Koki, can you go get him?” She turned towards the two members.  
  
“Yeah, sure! I want to talk to Kame-chan anyway!” Koki was eager and before Mitsui could give him the address, he already exited the room.  
  
“Don’t mind him… I and Koki wanted to show him the changes in our song. Koki got excited when I told him my beatboxing parts were ready.” Maru tried to cover for his friend.  
  
“Okay, here’s the address of the hospital Kazuya’s in. Tell him I will come see him tomorrow morning.”  
  
Nakamaru nodded and came out of the studio. He found Tanaka in the main hall, waiting for him impatiently. It was weird to see Koki slightly bouncing quite happily in a public place, since the boy always wanted to look cool. Yuichi just shrugged it off, since he himself wanted to meet Kamenashi again. The boy helped him a little lately and Maru liked his company even if he was strange to some point.

 

* * *

  
Kame happily invited TaNaka duet to his flat. The two members of AT-TUN looked around and sat on the couch in the living room. Meanwhile Kazuya made his way to the kitchen. After the guys came for him, he decided to make a delicious dinner to thank them for taking care of him. Of course when the boys panicked saying that he shouldn’t touch anything sharp and pointy, he quickly assured them that cooking is one of a few exceptions in his life that aren’t threatening. The boys were quite confused by the revelation but if Kame said so, they wouldn’t protest.  
  
“Kame-chan?” Koki asked the boy who hummed in question from the other room. “How did you ended up in the hospital?”  
  
“Um, some guy fought that I had slept with his daughter and I had jumped out the window so he wouldn’t kill me. The landing wasn’t the best. I’m happy that the guy’s daughter introduced her boyfriend to him. The pair looked cute together. The father accepted them in the end. I think he was happy that his daughter chose a rich guy in suit.”  
  
Maru and Koki just looked at each other. Where can you find someone who would be happy after falling down a few meters because of a stupid mistake? Ladies and gentleman, meet Kamenashi Kazuya, the man who’s smiling at the thought of a couple and the father that tried to kill him. Yue wouldn’t even be surprised but AT-TUN members couldn’t understand the younger boy.  
  
“Okay, everything’s ready. We can eat.” Kazuya appeared in the door with a nice smile and gestured for the two boys to come to the kitchen to take their plates; he didn’t want to make a mess by accidentally tripping on the carpet.  
  
“Tell us, Kamenashi-kun. How have you been this past few days?” Maru asked when they were already seated in the living room.  
  
“Good. Nothing unusual happened and I haven’t even had to bother Yue-chan with coming to the police station.”  
  
“Police station?” Maru’s eyes widened and Koki stopped eating.  
  
“Yeah. There are always some charges against me, mostly mistakes. My last name is rather rare so people are using it sometimes to help themselves. They aren’t even aware that I exist.” He laughed.  
  
“That’s really weird.” Koki commented.  
  
“For you it is but I’m already used to it. It only sounds bad, I’m always released at the end of the day. I meet interesting people there though.” The boy smiled but soon he’s expression changed slightly. “Um…”  
  
“What is it, Kame-chan?” Koki asked with his mouth full of food; Kazuya’s cooking really was good.  
  
“Ano… how’s Jin? He still has his good luck, right?”  
  
“Yes, he has it. You don’t have to worry, he’s alright.”  
  
Yuichi answered with a small smile. Kame smiled back and changed the subject to AT-TUN’s success and their upcoming performances. Both band members decided to not ask the younger boy about his obvious interest in their leader. They could see that Kazuya likes Jin very much but they had a feeling that the boy would deny it immediately; after all Kame and Jin were really stubborn and if they won’t admit it themselves, nothing will help.

 

* * *

  
At the same time in the studio, Akanishi sneezed. Yue finally gave Ueda and Jin a break and the two boys wanted to make a good use of it. They went to a small bar near the studio where dinners were quite tasty but not overly expensive. The place wasn’t big but had a homey feeling and it was enough to attract clients.  
  
Ueda and Akanishi were sitting at the table next to the entrance. It had a good view of the street and a nearby park. They ate the ordered food but Tatsuya could see that Akanishi was out of it, he was thoughtlessly putting his chopsticks in his mouth. Tatsuya ignored it though since the guy wasn’t embarrassing him. Somewhere in the middle of their meal, Tat-chan noticed that one of the waitresses was glancing at their table. It wasn’t hard for him to guess that the girl was ogling Jin. Tatsuya smirked and slightly nudged the other boy under the table.  
  
“You’re lucky today, Jin.” Ueda said and pointed towards the girl with his head. Jin turned around to look but soon turned back completely uninterested. “What’s with you, Jin? You’ve never let a chance go before.” Ueda furrowed his eyebrows and Akanishi shrugged.  
  
“She’s not my type.”  
  
“Not your type?” Ueda snorted. “Yeah, right. The last girl that you were interested in looked a lot like this one. And if I remember correctly, you’ve even got her number. This one is _hot_ ”  
  
“Maybe.” Jin shrugged again and Ueda frowned but soon, a certain thought made him smirk mischievously.  
  
“Why I haven’t thought about it before.” Jin looked up from his bowl confused. ”You like someone, don’t you? And that someone~ is a certain misfortunate songwriter~, am I right?”  
  
“…W-what? Of-f c-course not! What are you…? Are you stupid, Ueda? I don’t like Kazuya that way?”  
  
“Yeah? Then why did you call him Ka~zu~ya~?” Ueda sang. “Besides, who said it’s Kamenashi? You’re the one who’s an idiot. I understand why Yue calls you Bakanishi. Don’t you see that you have hots for our cute lyricist? You can’t even eat without thinking about him, I’m not even mentioning about our work.” Akanishi was quite stunned by his band mate's assumptions.  
  
“I… I… What the heck, Ueda?! Do you really think that I can like someone who had changed me into a walking magnet for death wishes?”  
  
Ueda just shrugged with the same annoying smirk and Jin groaned displeased. He threw a note on the table and stormed out of the bar leaving behind a half eaten bowl. Tat-chan didn’t mind it at all. Jin’s loss meant more food for Tatsuya.

 

* * *

  
Jin was angry but not at Tat-chan but at himself. He couldn’t understand his own feelings. At first he thought that it just a simple friendship between him and Kame but at the same time he couldn’t forget about the boy. He was worried about Kazuya and his own reaction when Karen was bullying the boy; he didn’t know what to think about it. Iit was the first time for him to be like this. He remembered his first girlfriend, Shimizu Aya. She was a great girl but he wasn’t as protective of her as he was of the younger boy. It was confusing him.  
  
Akanishi was slowly going through the park immersed in his thoughts. When he get to a crossroad he finally looked up to decide where he should go. While looking right he saw a familiar face standing a few meters away from him. He quickly ducked behind a tree in fright of being noticed. He tilted his head slightly to have a better view on what’s going on. He was surprised that Kame didn’t have his glasses on. He knew the boy didn’t really need them but they protected Kazuya from people’s stares and shameless thoughts.  
  
Jin furrowed his eyebrows. Kame talked to a middle-aged woman; if Jin wasn’t wrong she was a manager of a new famous dancing group. Guys that belonged to it were all handsome and eye-catching but the rumor said that every single one of them got accepted after a face-to-face meeting with this woman in her private room.  
  
The woman came closer to Kame with, according to her, a seductive smile. She put a hand on Kazuya’s shoulder when a finger of her other hand was tracing small circles on the boy’s chest. Suddenly Akanishi saw red; the woman made him mad and he wanted to rip her into pieces and bury her as deep and as far away from the younger boy as possible. Jin was jealous and this time he couldn’t help but admit it to himself.  
  
Yes, he liked Kame more than he should.  
  
Yes, he wanted to order him to wear his glasses all the time.  
  
Yes, he wanted to tell Kame that he only needs Jin in his life.  
  
Yes, he wanted to scream at the boy for letting the woman touch him.  
  
Yes, he wanted to have the man all to himself.  
  
Yes, he wanted to kiss Kazuya again and again till they both won’t be able to breathe anymore.  
  
AT-TUN’s leader was really tempted to come out and scare the annoying woman away but he stopped at the last minute when he saw Kame took a step back. The woman’s expression changed into an irritated one but Kame just bowed slightly and went away, leaving her in the middle of the footpath. Jin ducked again when Kame walked by him. Thankfully the boy didn’t see him being too busy rummaging through his backpack. Jin could only see a pair of black frames being pulled out. Akanishi relaxed; black frames meant that Kame had his glasses with him and he was safe from any sexual harassment.  
  
Jin frowned. Kame had his glasses with him all the time, then why wasn’t he wearing them when he had been talking with the woman? Akanishi clenched his teeth, the jealousy was coming back to him. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. Normally he would get unreasonably angry and ignore the younger boy for the time being but not this time. His selfish side took over. A plan formed in his mind, a perfect scheme to monopolize Kame’s attention and to prevent him from desperately trying to find a job, but if his plan was going to work he needed Mitsui Yue, the most influential young manager in this world.

 

* * *

Kame came back to his apartment tired. It was another tough day for him. He thought that it will be good to check if Yue is right and people are easily noticing his face. Of course he didn’t mean to start picking up random strangers and ask them if his face is recognizable. He wanted to try out Mitsui’s theory on someone who would help him in his career. After all getting attention from some famous producer or manager would make things easier for him. Unfortunately, the woman he picked wasn’t interested in his lyrics. He just couldn’t understand why she had been asking him questions about going to the gym and dancing – he had never danced in his whole life.  
  
Kazuya sighed and sat on the couch. He turned on the TV trying to stop thinking about another fruitless day. At first he was skipping channels but no matter what program he watched, he couldn’t forget his failure. After some time, being already tired with unwittingly thinking about the day, he stopped on a music channel.  
  
Suddenly every thought flew away from him but a new one made its way in. In front of him on the wide screen were shown two members of AT-TUN with guitars in their arms standing next to each other and singing to the microphones on a round platform. It was a promotional video of AT-TUN’s “Butterfly”.  
  
Kazuya watched the whole clip without blinking. He was torn. He was happy seeing the two boys but also every time when the station showed a close up of Jin’s face, he felt sadness. He knew he could meet the guys whenever he wanted but somehow it wasn’t enough. His heart wanted something more. It wanted Jin, his warm arms around his body, his soft smiles, his… lips.  
  
Kame turned off the TV and left his spot on the couch making his way to the bedroom where on a small table his new work was lying. He grabbed the piece of paper and sat on his bed, leaning with his back on the headboard. He stared in front of him thinking while holding a black pen.  
  
Those red lips were haunting him for days; soft yet rough. He wanted to taste them again, to just come closer and touch them with his own. Deep in his heart he wanted to go to Jin and tell him everything, to pour out his feelings to him like rain pours on people on the streets. But at the same time, every time when he thought about being close to the older boy, his heart was aching. He was torn between telling Jin about his love for him and losing the boy, never seeing him ever again, and keeping his feeling to himself and being hurt every time they meet. Kame was afraid. Afraid that Jin will feel sorry for him and blame himself for everything. He didn’t want that. He wanted him to be happy even if they had to change, if they had to forget about their short encounter.  
  
A few lonely tears made their way on Kazuya’s face. The boy quickly wiped them off and concentrated on the lyrics that formed in his head. Lines after lines he started to voice out his complicated emotions, turning them into a song. He meant the song to be a sad one but the more he wrote, the more he realized that he’s not the type of person who gives up easily. He couldn’t make a ballad, not when he still had the energy to fight.

* * *

In the morning Kame decided to visit Yue, who for the first time in weeks didn’t have to hurry to the studio. The girl was a devil in disguise when it came to work. Both she and Kazuya were workaholics, but this time Yue felt the need to take things slower - she couldn’t tire the boys out before the big performance on the next day. It was better to just make a simple rehearsal in the afternoon when everybody was well rested.  
  
“How are you, Kame? You have ugly bags under your eyes.” The girl said slightly insulting the boy who didn’t care; like always.  
  
“I’m fine. I was writing the new song for quite long and I went to sleep a little too late.” He sipped on the coffee Yue put in front of him; she made a good, sweet coffee.  
  
“Okay, if you say so.” She believed him even though there was surely more to it. “I’m surprised that you visit me this early though. Couldn’t you just sleep some more since you were awake half of the night?” She narrowed her eyebrows.  
  
“Um… actually I wanted to talk to you… about something.” Kazuya fidgeted in his place, avoiding Mitsui’s eyes.  
  
“…Then talk, I’m listening.” The girl tried to encourage him but the boy was really nervous.  
  
“Um…” He looked down and clenched the cup.  
  
“Hey…” Slowly Kame’s eyes met Yue’s softened gaze. “It’s okay. I’m your friend, you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you.” Yue was rarely nice but with Kame her motherly instincts often kicked in, making her more understanding and collected; though her sharp tongue and natural boldness were never leaving her.  
  
“It’s… it’s about Jin. I like him. I mean, more than a friend. I think… I think that I might love him.” Kazuya waited for some harsh comment, maybe a laugh but nothing like that came; only Yue seemed to be a little bit annoyed.  
  
“If that’s how you feel…” She paused trying to keep her composure; she failed at the end but it wasn’t the worst outburst ever. “then why the hell did you come with it to me?! Shouldn’t you be at Bakanishi’s house confessing to him?”  
  
“But what if he doesn’t feel the same? I don’t want to lose a good friend.” Yue saw Kazuya’s conflicted expression; it was a bad move from her side to scream at the boy. She sighed.  
  
“Look. I know you’re afraid but I don’t think you should keep it in yourself.” She leaned closer putting her hand on Kame’s shoulder. “I know you, Kame. You’re not a coward. You’re bold, simple-minded and straightforward. You’re also brave, much braver than all the people I know. I don’t say that you have to confess right away, I know it’s hard. But you should face Akanishi at some point. If you continue avoiding him, nothing good will come from it, you know that.” Kame looked at Yue; she was sincere.  
  
“Yeah, I know. But how can I face him not having a reason. I mean, when he asks me why I’m here what should I tell him? Wouldn’t it be awkward?” He asked with big, innocent eyes, full of complicated thoughts.  
  
“Hm…how about tomorrow?” She asked after a while.  
  
“Tomorrow?” Kazuya was slightly confused.  
  
“Yes, tomorrow. The guys are going to appear on a music show. You can say that I invited you since you’re the author of the song.”  
  
“Can you do it?” Kazuya’s eyes sparkled and Yue nodded while shrugging; it wasn’t a problem. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”  
  
The boy smiled widely and jumped to hug his best friend. She started patting his back while the boy was thanking her over and over again, repeating it like a mantra. Unfortunately for him, Kame couldn’t see Yue’s face on which a mischievous, knowing smirk appeared . Everything was going according to the plan.

 

* * *

  
Kazuya happily skipped down the stairs. He was thankful for having Mitsui Yue as his best friend; she gave him a job, an opportunity to meet famous people, get to know new friends and she unconsciously found him someone to love. He couldn’t wait to see AT-TUN performing; he had never been on any live show. Of course he wouldn’t be on stage but watching from backstage was equally exciting; he would see Jin working and hear his amazing voice, maybe he would be even able to talk to the older boy.  
  
Suddenly Kame stopped frozen in the middle of the street. A thought struck him like a lightening; no matter how you looked at it, there weren’t any bands which songwriters came to the live show to watch their songs being performed. Kazuya realized that it would be suspicious if he came and Jin surely would find it weird. That would be really awkward.  
  
Kazuya couldn’t decide what he should do. He really wanted to see Jin and the rest of the guys but he didn’t want to risk losing Jin’s friendship if the boy found out about Kame’s real feelings. It would be too much for him to see disgust or a pain of betrayal in the older boy’s eyes.

 

* * *

  
Later in the afternoon, Yue, Ueda and Jin were rehearsing again. It didn’t take long for Mitsui and Tatsuya to realize that Akanishi’s thoughts were actually far away from the studio and a guitar in his hands. He was daydreaming again. At first Yue and Tatsuya found it entertaining and fun to watch how Jin’s face shows his inner conflict. Once he looked like he wanted to jump and scream like a little kid who had too much sugar for breakfast only to look like a character from Greek tragedy whose fate lead him to a catastrophe, death and absolute extermination a few minutes later. It wasn’t hard to guess that a certain Kamenashi Kazuya was occupying his mind.  
  
An hour later Yue and Ueda had enough. Tatsuya was a little more patient than the manager but this time he agreed with the girl that Jin was a nuisance and if they won’t do anything soon, Akanishi will become a dead man. The girl hit the table with her palm bringing Jin back down to earth. He looked at her surprised, she looked angry but at the same time she looked like she didn’t have enough strength to even get up from her sit. Akanishi wasn’t so far away from the truth, she really was exhausted and even a thought about punching the lovesick guy wasn’t especially appealing - it wouldn’t help one bit.  
  
“Listen, Bakanishi.” She started while rubbing her eyes tiredly. “I know you’re worried and all but, for the God’s sake, _concentrate_! You’re performing tomorrow!” Jin looked at her and bit his lower lip.  
  
“But what’s if Kazuya won’t want it? What if he will reject me? What if I won’t see him ever again?”  
  
“Then he will decline, reject you, break your heart and let you rot in some ditch! And he will do it for sure if you don’t stop playing a fucking teenage girl.” She hissed glaring at the man who swallowed heavily; it was the moment when Ueda decided that he needs to save the stupid man from an eternal tortures.  
  
“Jin, you shouldn’t worry so much. Kamenashi is a nice guy. He will be happy to receive such a proposition from you. Besides, you’re a stubborn man so get your shit together and behave like a man, not a girl.”  
  
“But what if…” Tatsuya groaned frustrated and Yue finally got up and grabbed Jin’s collar with one hand.  
  
“Stop with this, Bakanishi! ‘What if’ and ‘what if’! I’m helping you but I’m more worried about your feelings towards Kazuya than his towards you! Do you really love him or is it just your fucking whimsy?!”  
  
Jin’s eyes widened, not with fear but with shock. He knew Yue was protective of Kame but hearing from her own mouth that she doubted his feeling towards the younger boy was heart-clenching. It’s not like he hadn’t thought that Yue might have something against his plans but she was helping him so far. It was weird but his mind was too occupied to realize it. The girl wouldn’t do it for him. Actually, there was only one person that she might had been doing it for - Kazuya. Jin wanted to ask why she was doing it but something told him that she wouldn’t tell him. Maybe she just wanted for Kame to finally have a stable job? Akanishi didn’t care, she had a point though. He never told anyone that he loves Kame, not even her, the only person that Kazuya treated like his own family.  
  
The girl let go of the older boy and turned back wanting to just get out and lock herself in her office. She had enough, she was worried and she wasn’t sure if she made a right choice after all, maybe Akanishi just wasn’t the person Kazuya needed in his life. She was about to exit the room when Jin’s voice made her stop.  
  
“I love him.” She turned around with a serious look on her face. “I love Kamenashi Kazuya. I’m sorry that I haven’t told you before, he’s as important to me as he is to you and I should know that you will be worried, so… I’m sorry and please, let me go along with the plan.” Akanishi said seriously and bowed deeply; the girl didn’t even blink.  
  
“Will you focus on the job and leave the rest to me?” Jin nodded knowing perfectly well what she meant. “Good. Remember one thing though. If you ever hurt him in any way, I’m going to change your life in a living pain.”  
  
She turned around and walked away. Akanishi was determined and even a heavy threat like this one, wasn’t able to change his mind. If he ever hurt the boy he would personally go to Yue and let her punish him for every mistake he had made in his life, for every bad word he had told Kazuya along the years. Jin looked at Tat-chan and they both started their practise again. This time nothing could distract him and Kazuya’s image in his head only helped him to concentrate; the plan was going to work, no matter what.

 

* * *

  
Junno was bored. It was another day for him without work, it’s not like he missed going to the studio in the early morning every day but he had already played all the games that he had in his house; there was nothing more he could do in his flat. He wanted to meet up with the guys but Yue, Jin and Uepi were busy, TaNaka duo decided to practice ‘One On One’ since the previous day they got the songwriter to agree to a few changes and came up with a few new lines together with Kamenashi.  
  
Not having a better option, Junno went for a walk. The day was rather nice, it was slightly cool but the sky was blue and the Sun was shining brightly. The boy felt way better in this weather. Suddenly he heard barking of dogs and looked in the direction of the noise intrigued. He was surprised seeing Kame sitting on a branch and hugging a tree trying not to fall. Beneath him were two massive dogs desperately trying to bite the boy on the tree. Thankfully the owner caught his pupils and took them away from the young man.  
  
When the owner and his dogs disappeared from Kazuya’s eyes, he smiled and slowly tried to climb down. Of course, being who he was, a landing wasn’t the smoothest and one of the thinner branches broke. Kame squeaked at the sudden loss of balance and fell down. He groaned and sat up massaging his sore back, he didn’t even see Taguchi that came to him quickly trying to see if Kame’s alright.  
  
“Uh… I need remember not to climb that high.” Kame pouted.  
  
“Are you okay, Kame-chan?” The younger boy got slightly startled by a voice next to him but when he saw that it’s just Junno, he smiled brightly.  
  
“Taguchi-kun! Nice to see you! I’m fine but what are you doing here? I thought that you would play games at your house.” Junno help the boy get up from the ground and they both sat on the nearby bench.  
  
“Well, I was playing for a few days now and I got bored. Everyone is busy and doesn’t seem to have time for me. Going for a walk seemed to be a good idea.” Junno shrugged and smiled widely but Kazuya frowned.  
  
“Then why don’t you go to the studio and help them? You look like you want to do it.” Kame was right, Junno wanted to go but there was someone who prevented him from doing so.  
  
“Yue-chan said that I would distract the guys and that I wouldn’t be useful anyway.” Junno’s face fell a little; it was hard hearing something like this from a person you like. Kame flinched.  
  
“Don’t mind her, she didn’t mean anything bad with it. It might be weird for you but Yue-chan says harsh things when she’s working. When we were kids and she was doing her project, she had dragged me to the door, threw me out and shut the door in my face saying something about me pissing her off with my existence. She didn’t really mean it though, it’s more like she doesn’t realize that she’s hurting others with her words when she’s focused on her job. When she doesn’t think about work, she’s more careful with what she’s saying but when there’s something serious going on, her sharp tongue is going loose.” Kame explained and smiled at Junno who looked a little better. “Taguchi-kun, you like Yue-chan, don’t you?” The older man looked quite stunned but answered honestly anyway.  
  
“Yeah, Yue-chan is really cool but she doesn’t seem to like me much. She’s always keeping distance from me.” He sulked.  
  
“Don’t worry, she likes you.” Junno looked up at Kame, not really believing him. “I’m serious, she doesn’t hate you. I guess, she’s a little wary of you since you’re unpredictable at times, that’s all. You’re a nice guy and I like you. If you need any help with Yue-chan, just call me.” Kazuya smiled widely at the man.  
  
“Thank you, Kame-chan! I won’t give up, she’s the first person that doesn’t treat me like an annoying kid. She even talks to me seriously when any other person would just brush me off.”  
  
Junno smiled and they started talking about everything and anything that came to their minds. Taguchi promised to borrow Kame some games and a console so the boy could ‘get enchanted with a magical world of awesomeness’, like Junno called it. Passersby were looking at them weirdly; they looked like two high school geeks that never had a real girlfriend. It was even more depressing that they were actually quite right. Kazuya ignored every girl since the day his senpai, Sato Mei, had humiliated him in front of classmates and Junno scared away most of the girls.  
  
“Yue is rarely scared of something. With her personality it’s more likely that others will be terrified of her.” Kame tried to comfort the taller boy.  
  
“You’re probably right, I’ve never seen her in fear. She’s really strong, ne~?” He asked but it seemed more like a statement; Kame remembered his morning visit at the girl’s flat and frowned.  
  
“... I should go now. I need to buy groceries, my fridge is quite empty.” Kazuya said and give Junno a small smile. When Kame got up and turned to leave, Junno spoke up.  
  
“Come to see us tomorrow, Kame-chan.” The younger looked behind him to see that the older boy is looking at him seriously. “We’re all missing you but it’s Jin that misses you the most so… just come.”  
  
Kazuya was slightly startled by Taguchi’s sudden authority; he couldn’t utter a word. He somehow couldn’t decline the invitation, he felt that he couldn’t do it, not when Junno didn’t have a smile on his face. It wasn’t a proposition, it was an order and Kame knew he has to listen to the other boy. Hearing that Jin misses him, made him feel better and his previous fears started to fade. Who cares that Akanishi might found it weird that Kazuya will be there, the important thing is to go and see the man that Kame likes more than he probably should.  
  
The younger boy nodded his head and went away quickly trying not to think about anything; any thought now would bring him new doubts.

 

* * *

  
At 2 in the afternoon, AT-TUN and their manager arrived in the studio. There were three more hours before the show but they needed to do a quick sound check so the guys came earlier. Jin was looking around while staff were leading them to the right room. Akanishi wanted to spot Kame, they boy should be here at any moment now since Yue-san instructed the younger boy to appear early. The problem was that Kame was nowhere in sight and also no one saw him even near the building. Jin got worried that the boy might not come at all.  
  
“Yue, are you sure he agreed to come?” He asked quietly trying to hide his nervousness.  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She answered but couldn’t help to scan rooms with her eyes herself; something wasn’t right. “Maybe he just ran into some garbage can or something.”  
  
“I hope so. I want him to be here when I announce the big news.”  
  
“Trust me, Akanishi, I want that too.” Yue sighed still looking around.  
  
“Ano…” Taguchi interrupted the small discussion getting Yue and Jin to turn towards him. “I met Kame-kun yesterday. He looked a little troubled about today.” Junno smiled sheepishly while Akanishi’s eyes widened and Yue cursed under her breath.  
  
“Fuck, we have a problem.” She said massaging her forehead.  
  
“What will we do now? If he’s not here we can’t go with the plan!” Jin started to panic.  
  
“Calm down, Bakanishi. If he won’t come to us willingly, we will make him come, whether he likes it or not.” A mischievous smirk appeared on her face. “I have a plan. You two and Ueda are going to stay here. Koki! Nakamaru! You’re going with me. If someone asks, we went for coffee and will be back on time for the show.”  
  
She grabbed her keys and rushed towards the exit followed by confused Koki and Nakamaru; Kame won’t be able to run away – no when Yue was pulling by all the strings.

 

* * *

  
Taguchi was right, Kame was troubled again and this time it was even worse. The boy hid under the covers and refused to get up from his bed. He wanted to sleep whole day and pretend that he was just tired and couldn’t come. So far his plan was working, no one called him yet and Yue hadn’t appeared at his doorsteps. He was relieved but sad at the same time. He was confused and scared, he didn’t know if he really should go or just hide like he was doing now.  
  
Kazuya slowly released a breath trying to hush his heart and mind that were sending him contradictory signals. One was telling him to go and say everything he wanted to while the other wanted him to stay where he was and forget about the show. After some time Kame was able to shut them down and enjoy a warm duvet swathed around his whole body in a comfortable cocoon.  
  
Kame heard ringing coming from his cell phone. He stuck out his head and grabbing the device with one of his hands, he looked at the screen. It was a call from Yue. Kazuya whimpered, put his phone on the table next to his bed and ducked quickly under the cover trying to ignore everything that will come his way.

 

* * *

  
Meanwhile, the girl was standing in front of Kazuya’s apartment with her own mobile phone in the hand and calling the boy. It didn’t matter that he didn’t pick up; his ringtone was heard through the front door. Yue tsked annoyed.  
  
“That coward doesn’t want to pick up his fucking phone.” She hid her device. ”Whatever. He’s inside. Nakamaru, be ready to drive away when I and Koki will bring Kame down. Koki, you’re going to catch Kazuya if he tries to escape.”  
  
The two boys looked at each other not completely convinced but seeing no other choice, they nodded their heads agreeing to Yue’s plan. The girl nodded back and when Nakamaru went down the stairs, she opened the door with her spare key. She mentioned to Tanaka to stay outside while she made her way towards Kazuya’s bedroom.  
  
She wasn’t really surprised seeing a cocoon on the bed, Kame used to make one and hide in it every time something was too hard for him to understand or he felt self-conscious. She silently came closer to the front of the cocoon and grabbed the duvet. In one fast movement she yanked the cover off Kame. The boy was startled and tried to ran away but the girl pulled him by his ankle. Kazuya fell on a soft bed sheet but soon he turned his head around and looked wide-eyed at smirking Yue that in her other hand was holding a rope.  
  
“Now… you can get up and change into something proper or I will have to tie you and bring to the studio only in your underwear. What do you choose, Kame-chan~?”  
  
Kame groaned defeated and Mitsui let go of his leg. The boy stood up and took out some clothes. While he went into his bathroom to put on his shirt and jeans, Yue made her way towards the kitchen. She wasn’t sure if Kame ate anything while sulking in his room and making a few sandwiches for everyone was a good idea.  
  
Kazuya quickly put on his outfit and peered through the door. He was surprised not seeing Yue there but a few seconds later he could hear her rummaging through his fridge. His heartbeat became faster; it was his chance to escape, she wouldn’t notice now, when she was occupied with whatever she was doing in the other room. Not wasting any time, the boy silently made his way towards his front door. Unfortunately, Kazuya forgot about one thing – Yue wasn’t stupid, on the contrary she was sneaky and shrewd. There was no way that she would let him wander off just under her nose.  
  
Kame slowly grabbed the door handle and pulled it down. He looked behind him, checking if Yue didn’t hear a click of the lock and the boy smiled satisfied. It looked like his exit was going to be successful. He pulled the door towards himself and wanted to get out when he stopped frowning. In front of him stood Tanaka Koki. Kame whined and rolled his eyes; there was no way to escape now.  
  
Yue came out from the kitchen and came closer to the boy. She patted his back reassuringly and the three of them made their way down to the van. Of course, Kazuya wasn’t from those that are giving up easily so he tried to run away again. Yue, slightly annoyed by his stubbornness decided to make use of the rope and tied the poor boy to the seat; there was always a possibility that the boy will try to jump out the window - she didn’t want to risk it.  
  
Nakamaru started the engine. There were still two hours left but it was the time of a terrible traffic jam and they didn’t know if they will be able to get to the studio on time.

 

* * *

  
Jin was walking back and forth on the backstage while Ueda was following him with his eyes. He could see how nervous Jin was but it was starting to annoy him. If the boy was stressing so much now how was he going to behave when Kamenashi will be actually watching him from the audience? He didn’t know but Akanishi was a professional and Tatsuya believed that Jin will get a grip on himself.  
  
Half an hour before the big show, finally the rest arrived with Kame as their hostage. Ueda sighed relieved and Jin just stared at the small boy that he grew to love. Kazuya couldn’t really look Jin in the eyes but tried to not turn his head away. Yue released him; he couldn’t run away anymore anyway. He stood there stiffed and awkward saying a short ‘hi’ to the band.  
  
Akanishi wanted to talk to the younger boy but before he could open his mouth, Junno rushed to Kame and hugged him tightly. Koki smacked the tall boy in the head and everyone burst out laughing. Junno massaged his head comically but turned serious at the sight of Yue. He told her that the stuff informed him that everything is ready and she can go take a look. Nobody really knew what was going on but the girl just smirked and pulled Kame with her, ordering AT-TUN to get ready to go on stage at any minute.  
  
Kazuya was confused just like the other guys but let his friend lead him to the room at the end of the corridor. It was a small dressing room with a chair in front of the mirror and a single hanger with a covered outfit hanging on it. Kame didn’t understand anything but when he looked at Yue he could see a genuine smile.  
  
“I promised you that I would do something like postponing your job interview. Well, I couldn’t really do it but I’ve got a proposition that I just couldn’t decline.”  
  
“What… what proposition?” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.  
  
“Do you remember which of your songs Nakata-san had found?” She asked mysteriously.  
  
“Yeah… but what has it to do with anything?” He was even more confused than before.  
  
“He gave it to one of his great musicians. The man liked it very much and wanted to buy it.”  
  
“You mean that you sold my song to some famous guy?” Kazuya wasn’t sure if he’s mad at the girl for not telling him earlier or happy that she was able to actually do it.  
  
“I did… but under your real name.” Kame’s eyes widened.  
  
“Why would you do it?”  
  
“Because I wanted _you_ to sing it too.”  
  
“…What do you mean?” He was looking at her incredulously.  
  
“I agreed to sell your song only if the guy that bought it will sing it with you today, in this show, for the first time.” Kame sat on a chair shocked. “It’s a chance for you, Kame. Not to became famous but to show your talent to all this people that were looking down on you. So.. what do you say? Are you going to sing?” She asked looking at him searching for approval.  
  
“But… but what with the lyrics?”  
  
“I know you remember them, Kazuya. You know all of your songs.”  
  
He looked up at his friend trying to read her intentions. He was sure that they were genuine but it wasn’t like her to make something so big for him just so he could get known by people; actually she was against him being in a centre of attention, Yue thought it was dangerous for him. He couldn’t understand what made her change her mind but he stopped caring quickly. It was his chance to shine and he couldn’t waste it.  
  
He nodded determined and Yue gave him a lopsided but proud smile; it was going to be fun.

 

* * *

  
AT-TUN were ready. Tatsuya and Jin checked the guitar for the last time and concentrated on their coming-up performance. They hadn’t seen Yue or Kame for some time now and there were only mere minutes left before the show starts. The whole band got slightly worried but they knew that the girl won’t let Kame miss anything.  
  
The hosts came out on the stage where a few couches and chairs were placed and greeted the audience; it was a live show after all. While the guys were observing the crowds, Nakamaru saw in the corner of his eye someone he didn’t expect seeing here. He elbowed Koki who scowled and wanted to smack the other boy but decided to catch attention of the rest of the guys, while he saw who was on the other side of backstage, behind the hosts.  
  
“What the hell, Koki?” Ueda said quickly looking at the other boy.  
  
“Am I seeing right or it’s Suga Shikao-san, a famous musician from ‘International Sounds Record’?” The older boy looked at the direction pointed by the rapper and couldn’t believe his eyes.  
  
“Yes, it’s him. Now stop staring and better do your job properly.”  
  
The boys turned around to see Yue standing with her hands folded. Thankfully she wasn’t mad, she looked quite pleased with something but AT-TUN knew she won’t tell them. Jin wanted to ask where Kame is, but Yue just smiled at him reassuringly and walked away wishing them good luck.  
  
Finally the show began. First the hosts introduced each other and made some joke about new line of MP4 players. Next their announced today’s guests. AT-TUN weren’t surprised that the host introduced Suga Shikao who came out on stage. They were delighted to see the great musician in person and happily listened to the interview.  
  
“Suga-san, we heard that you have a new song for us today.”  
  
“Yes, I’m going to sing something new but this time it will be a little different.” The man said it calmly but everyone were confused by his words.  
  
“What do you mean, Suga-san? Is there something special with the song?”  
  
“Yes, actually there is. The song was written by a certain young songwriter. I really like the lyrics and decided to buy it from him.”  
  
“Oh, was it hard to get them? I think it wasn’t. After all there’s a lot of young people that would love if you sing their songs.” Suga laughed heartily.  
  
“You might not believe me but it was really hard to get the song.”  
  
“How’s that even possible?” The hosts were utterly surprised, just like the audience.  
  
“There were some conditions that I had to agree to. The main one was that lyricist real name will be used while introducing. The other condition quite shocked me but I agreed anyway.”  
  
“What was the second condition? You made us all curious, Suga-san.”  
  
“Well… the condition apply to today’s performance. The new song will be sung not only by me but by the lyricist himself.”  
  
“Oh, my! Then that young man has to have a good voice that matches with yours, I assume?”  
  
“And that’s where the agreement is even harder to believe. I’ve never spoken or even seen the author of the song. Today we will meet for the first time, on this stage, during our performance.”  
  
Everyone gasped in shock. No one would be surprised if people in front of the TVs were gasping as well. It was uncommon to sing live without any practice or rehearsals, it was even more weird since Suga Shikao was going to sing with an unknown guy who he had never met before. When the shock on the hosts faces faded, they sent Suga on the other stage when two stools and two microphones were already waiting.  
  
“Dear Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me introduce to you the new song, “Ai ni Tsuite” written by…” Everyone held their breaths waiting for the performer to introduces the co-singer. “…Kamenashi Kazuya-kun!”  
  
Kame came out on stage to sit on the stool. He nodded awkwardly at the famous man. He was nervous as hell but when he heard first sounds of his song, all his worries flew away. Kazuya started singing surprising everyone with a great, melodious voice. AT-TUN couldn’t believe their ears. The boy was great; no one would believe that he had such a bad luck in his life.  
  
“That’s Kame’s third gift along with cooking and doing a massage. When it comes to music, he’s more than a genius. He feels what he sings and loses himself in the sounds he hears around him. That’s his precious talent.”  
  
Yue said standing next to the guys and observing her best friend on stage. It was a performance that would stay in people’s mind for a long time; she was sure of it.

 

* * *

  
AT-TUN couldn’t talk to Kame after he came back from the stage. They were called on stage the second ovations stopped. Their performance was divided into three parts; a short introductory talk about their success, singing of “Butterfly” and a proper talk. Kazuya, who came to himself after the shock, stood next to Yue through two first parts. He was really enjoying watching AT-TUN, especially Jin who looked more handsome playing live than in a PV that dominated music stations in the whole country.  
  
Finally came the time for a real talk about the band, its future and new releases.  
  
“Everyone was surprised with the new song. No one expected just two members to sing. How did you thought about such idea?”  
  
“Well, it wasn’t our idea but our songwriter. He made the song for only two people but we liked it so much that we decided to sing it.” Ueda answered.  
  
“I see… The song is great. Your lyricist must be someone famous, am I right?”  
  
“Actually, “Butterfly” is the first song written by him that got sung by other people than the songwriter himself.” Jin said with a smile, shocking the audience.  
  
“Is that so? It’s rather surprising. How did you find him then?”  
  
“Our manager, Mitsui Yue-san, bought the lyrics for us. The songwriter is her best friend. She’s serious when it comes to music so she wouldn’t buy anything that can’t be turned into a hit.” Jin laughed soon followed by other people.  
  
“I understand. Now… let’s move further… Today, while showing your performance in television, there were two empty places – there was no name of the lyricist, nor was there a name of your band. Does this mean Ueda-san and Akanishi-san are going to start working as a duo only?”  
  
“Oh, no. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that we want to start a new chapter in our bands history but to do that we had to make some changes. It’s still not exactly confirmed but we’re going to announce it on this show anyway.” Nakamaru said.  
  
“What do you mean? If it’s not confirmed how can you talk about it?”  
  
“We think that it’s the only way for our wishes to be answered. Mitsui-san helped us organize all of this and if she’s helping that only means that she agrees with us.” This time Koki decided to explain but the main part still belonged to Jin.  
  
“I think we still don’t understand. What changes are you making?”  
  
“Let me explain then. Let’s start with the lyricist name. As you probably remember, at first there was a nickname K2. Well, it doesn’t change that much, we only want to exchange it with a real name of the songwriter.” Kazuya’s eyes widened but he couldn’t do much.  
  
“So who’s the mysterious man that wrote such a catching masterpiece? We want to meet him!” Jin laughed at the host’s eagerness.  
  
“You already met him.”  
  
“What? When?”  
  
“A few minutes ago, on this show.”  
  
“You’re saying that…”  
  
“Yes, Kamenashi Kazuya-kun wrote the lyrics to our new song and we really hope that he will write us many more songs.”  
  
“That’s incredible! Kamenashi-kun, please come out on the stage!”  
  
The host called and Yue pushed still stunned Kazuya towards the stage. The boy almost tripped but got back his balance quickly. He looked at the audience quite frightened to avert his eyes a second later. He spotted the guys. They were smiling at him reassuringly, especially Jin seemed to be happy seeing the boy. Kame slowly made his way towards a chair and sat on it while bowing to everyone.  
  
“Kamenashi-kun! How do you feel knowing that your first song is one of the best selling singles of the month?” Kazuya was still confused but tried to regain his composure at least a little.  
  
“…I don’t know. I never really planned to reveal my name. I’m really surprised right now. The previous performance… it was a shock to me. I didn’t know until a few minutes before the show started that I’m going to sing today.”  
  
“You mean that Mitsui-san sold your song without your permission?”  
  
“Yes, but I’m happy that she did. I could sing with someone as great as Suga Shikao-san.” Kazuya finally smiled with this smile that always brightened up the room.  
  
“That’s amazing, indeed. But let’s go back to the band. We already filled in one space but what with the band’s name? Aren’t you AT-TUN anymore?”  
  
“Well, we’re not sure right now but we hope that a certain someone will help us figure it out.” Jin answered and the guys shocked everyone by turning towards a stunned Kame. “Kamenashi-kun, we talked a lot as a band about AT-TUN’s future and we all agreed that something needs to be changed. Mitsui-san also gave us a green light in that matter thought she was worried at first. While we were working with you, we were really enjoying ourselves, the song came out great and we also know that the next one will be as good. Also after your performance tonight, we are one hundred percent sure know.” Jin looked at his bandmates and they all nodded in agreement smiling widely. “Kamenashi-kun, we want you as a part of AT-TUN or rather, if you agree to join us, a part of KAT-TUN.”  
  
Akanishi ended his speech stunning everyone around them. Everyone held their breaths staring intensely at Kame who was gaping at the boys in front of him. A minute passed and the guys tensed, their smiles faltering slightly. Kazuya hadn’t utter a word and the guys started to worry. There was a possibility that the boy won’t join them and it was the worst thing that could happen. They all wanted him in the band, especially now, when they knew that he can sing as good as a professional musician with a diploma.  
  
“Kamenashi-kun? What’s your answer? Will you join AT-TUN making it KAT-TUN?” The host tried to help; but Kame just blinked and looked around him. His eyes fell on Yue who nodded with a smile.  
  
“…Please, take care of me from now on.”  
  
Kazuya said and bowed deeply. A second his words registered in everyone’s minds, a loud cheer echoed through the studio. AT-TUN grabbed the boy and started tossing him in the air happily. Everyone was smiling and laughing while Koki started rapping accompanied by Maru’s beatboxing. Even Yue couldn’t stop herself from smiling widely and clapping along with the audience.  
  
A new era came, era of KAT-TUN.

 

* * *

  
After the show the new band and Yue went to the studio to celebrate. On their way everyone was happily talking about a near future, Kame even said that he was working on a song that the rest would like. He didn’t mention though that his song was quite personal and based on his real feelings. Yue knew about this but it wasn’t the time yet to confront the boy, not before Akanishi makes his move.  
  
Weirdly enough, Jin didn’t look stressed even though he had to take a last step in his plan. Everyone raised their cans of beers that they bought on their way, to cheer for the future of KAT-TUN. After that they kept talking as long as Jin finally put his can down and came to Kame wanting to speak with him. Their friends were observing with knowing smiles on their faces.  
  
“Hi, how have you been this last few days?” Akanishi asked looking at the nervous boy.  
  
“I’m fine, thank you. And how are you?” The boy asked avoiding Jin’s eyes; Akanishi smirked at the cute sight.  
  
“I’m good. I’m really happy that you agreed to become part of our little family.” Kazuya looked up at him with innocent eyes.  
  
“Really? Are you sure I won’t be bothering you?” Jin smiled.  
  
“No, not at all.” Kame’s face brightened and a dorky smile appeared on his face.” But there’s one more thing that I have to do.”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
Kame asked surprised and curious but he didn’t get the answer. Instead of using words, Jin bend down slightly and locked Kame’s lips with his own. The boy’s eyes widened but he didn’t try to pull away. On the contrary, he leaned in to the soft touch and closed his eyes. His mind went completely blank while Jin nibbled gently on Kazuya’s lower lip. Unnoticeably Jin took one of the younger boy’s hands in his own and broke the kiss, looking at the boy tenderly.  
  
“Why did you do this? You will be unlucky again.” It was obvious that he was more concerned about Jin’s well-being than his own wildly beating heart.  
  
“I did this because I love you, Kazu.”  
  
Jin smiled at Kame’s blushing and confused face. Kame couldn’t really believe in what he was hearing. The man that he fell in love with, was confessing to him. It was a shock for the younger boy who became completely speechless, he was just staring at Jin and trying to understand what had happened. When he finally registered the words in his head he couldn’t do anything else except for honestly, but quietly, answering the older boy, though Kame found it slightly embarrassing.  
  
“I love you too.” The boy became even redder if it’s possible and Jin couldn’t help himself; he smirked and said.  
  
“If that’s the case then I can always get my luck back, can’t I?”  
  
Jin kissed the surprised boy again. A few seconds later Kazuya wrapped his hands around Akanishi’s neck, deepening the kiss while Jin’s hands found their way to Kame’s hips squeezing them lightly, not wanting to do him any harm. They were kissing slowly completely oblivious to the rest of the world around them.  
  
The rest of KAT-TUN was watching the pair trying not to disturb them. At first they thought of it as sweet, but the more two boys were engrossed in each other the more they started to wonder when they won’t have any more air in their lungs. There was one more question that suddenly appeared in their minds.  
  
How they’re going to know which one of them is lucky at the time?  
  
Yue as if hearing their inner thoughts, gave them an answer.  
  
“Don’t worry, I will give them dices later. Let’s leave them for now. They need to enjoy their new found happiness to the full.” She smirked at them and turned to Junno who was quite startled by her sudden attention. “If I remember correctly, you wanted to play video games with me. Wanna do it now?”  
  
Junno was shocked but it was quickly replaced by a wide happy smile. He nodded quickly and skipped towards the door with other boys. Yue followed soon after. Staying in the doorway she made a last glance at Jin and Kame still locked in a sweet kiss.  
  
 _“Yeah, it’s definitely a good beginning, ne?”_ She thought and exited the room with a contented smile.

 

**THE END**

 


End file.
